Songpa-gu Awarded the 2023 Prime Minister's Commendation for National Disaster Management

Songpa-gu Awarded Prime Minister’s Commendation for 2023 National Disaster Management Merit…The Only Autonomous District in Seoul to Receive It

Received the Highest Honor in the Institutional Category in the Evaluation Led by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety…Recognized as a Leading City in Disaster Management

Seogangseok, Mayor of Songpa District

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) received the Prime Minister’s Commendation, the highest honor in the institutional category, in the ‘2023 National Disaster Management Merit’ evaluation hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, gaining external recognition for its status as a safe city.

The ‘2023 National Disaster Management Merit’ evaluation is a government award led by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety that assesses the disaster prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities of citizens, public institutions, related organizations, and public officials involved in disaster management. The evaluation was conducted targeting 339 disaster management responsible institutions and related organizations.

In this evaluation, the district was recognized for achievements including ▲comprehensive industrial safety and health measures to prevent major disasters ▲continuous education and inspections to prevent major disaster accidents ▲ensuring the safety of citizens and workers, and was the only one among Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts to receive the Prime Minister’s Commendation.

In particular, a major achievement was highlighted: ▲In November, joint inspections were conducted with fire safety experts at 20 entrusted daycare centers subject to major citizen disasters to prevent secondary damages such as suffocation, overturning, and falls of infants and toddlers during fire prevention and evacuation.

Additionally, ▲the ‘Songpa-gu Safety and Health Activity Best Practices’ were posted on the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s website to share with local governments and related organizations, earning excellent evaluations for continuous education and inspections aimed at achieving zero major disasters in workplaces.

Furthermore, ▲the district actively responded to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and minimize damage by operating the COVID-19 Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and inspecting compliance with quarantine guidelines at large-scale performances ▲conducted thorough safety inspections of large-scale multi-use facilities such as the supertall building (Lotte Tower) ▲carried out safety patrols in crowded areas in preparation for the Korea match at the Qatar World Cup to prevent safety accidents.

Currently, the district has established the first ‘Disaster Safety Situation Room’ among Seoul’s autonomous districts, conducting 24-hour monitoring for rapid response in case of disasters. It collects and disseminates various disaster information such as earthquakes and fires, and also serves as a ‘disaster safety control tower’ managing heatwaves and cold waves.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “This achievement is the result of pursuing a single goal to protect the lives and safety of our residents from disasters,” and added, “We will continue to do our best to create a safe city free from disasters through systematic and leading safety administration.”