Emergency Briefing at Seoul City Hall
"Safety is the Principle of Overreaction"
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon apologized on the 31st for causing confusion to many people regarding the emergency disaster alert text message sent by the Seoul city government in response to the space launch vehicle launched by North Korea. However, he emphasized that it was not a false alarm as pointed out by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is addressing the position of Seoul City regarding the emergency disaster alert text message sent by the city in response to the space launch vehicle launch claimed by North Korea earlier that morning, at the city hall briefing room on the 31st. Photo by Yonhap News
At an emergency briefing held in the city hall briefing room that day, Mayor Oh explained, "In the urgent situation where North Korea launched a space launch vehicle, the fire disaster headquarters civil defense control center officer who received the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's alert broadcast sent the message considering the urgency of the situation."
He continued, "When North Korea launched the rocket over the West Sea, it was judged that the Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul, needed to closely monitor the situation, which triggered the alert. There can be no compromise on safety, and I believe the principle is to respond excessively."
Regarding the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's criticism that Seoul's emergency disaster message was a 'false alarm,' Mayor Oh stressed, "This emergency message may have been an overreaction by the field personnel, but I do not consider it a false alarm."
He added, "Seoul city will further refine the alert system's guidance phrases and methods and cooperate with the government to improve it for preventing citizen confusion and providing prompt and accurate guidance."
When asked whether those responsible would be disciplined, he said, "We are currently investigating the circumstances, but if talk of discipline arises first, it could significantly intimidate field officials in the future. It is too early to speak prematurely."
Regarding the differing judgments with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, he said, "We sent the deputy mayors to the Prime Minister's Office to explain the exact circumstances and details of the morning's events. Probably, after hearing both the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Seoul city's accounts, the Prime Minister's Office will decide what measures are necessary, and we will follow that."
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