Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun Personally Oversees On-Site Inspection for a Safe Seol Holiday

7th, 3:10 PM, Visit to Dongyeon Steel Myeongrye Factory, Gijang Fire Station, Nopo Vehicle Base

Request for Industrial Accident Prevention and On-site Safety, Seeking Support and Transition Measures for Foreign Workers

Mayor Park Hyung-jun:

On the 7th at 3:10 PM, Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan, will visit Dongyeon Steel Myeongrye Factory, Gijang Fire Station, and Nopo Vehicle Depot to personally inspect the sites for a safe Busan during the Lunar New Year holiday, following his price inspection at local markets on the 2nd.

First, he will visit 'Dongyeon Steel Myeongrye Factory,' a leading company in the drawn steel pipe industry located in Gijang-gun.

Dongyeon Steel (CEO Chu Byung-du) is a small and medium-sized enterprise manufacturing metal products such as drawn steel pipes. It sells various types of steel pipes including structural pipes, square steel pipes, and seamless steel pipes to markets for automobiles, ships, and major piping materials. It is known for its excellent drawn steel pipe manufacturing technology to the extent that there is a saying, "All steel pipes lead to Dongyeon Steel."

Drawn steel pipes are steel pipes made by pulling and drawing materials such as electric resistance welded steel pipes in hot or cold states to adjust the diameter. They are more precise and have superior mechanical properties compared to ordinary steel pipes.

Mayor Park will inspect the production process, personally ensuring industrial site safety including disaster prevention. Additionally, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, he will explore measures to transition from simple support policies to specialized and skilled manpower (issuance of E-7-4 visas) to facilitate the smooth settlement of foreign workers who are contributing to the local economy.

Currently, 46 foreign workers are employed at Dongyeon Steel Myeongrye Factory.

On this day, Mayor Park will freely exchange opinions with foreign workers regarding working conditions, housing, language, visa issuance, and other settlement conditions, and will devise support measures for foreign workers.

This year, Busan City was selected for the Ministry of Employment and Labor's 'Foreign Worker Local Settlement Support Project' and plans to support various programs for foreign workers, including operating a local settlement center, legal support, job placement, and life settlement assistance.

Next, Mayor Park will visit the 'Gijang Fire Station' to observe special duty during the Lunar New Year holiday and check the preparedness for various disaster responses during the holiday period.

The Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters will conduct special duty at all fire stations during the Lunar New Year holiday period (from 6 PM on February 8 to 9 AM on February 13), strengthening the initial response system through on-site response and situation management led by fire station chiefs.

Gijang-gun, under the jurisdiction of Gijang Fire Station, is a complex city with industrial complexes, new towns, rural fishing villages, and forests mixed together, making it a region where early response is especially important due to the risk of various disasters.

Mayor Park will also encourage the efforts of firefighters working 24-hour shifts and urge safety prevention at disaster sites to prevent tragic incidents like the factory fire accident at Mungyeong Industrial Complex on the 31st of last month.

Finally, Mayor Park will visit the Nopo Vehicle Depot of Busan Metro to inspect essential sites for safe metro operation such as crew and vehicle inspection, and encourage the workers who strive to provide convenience to citizens even during the holiday period.

He will particularly ensure regular metro safety management such as vehicle maintenance and track upkeep to prevent citizen safety accidents like train derailments or electrical short circuits.

He will also personally check the newly introduced new trains on Metro Line 1, which have been in operation since December last year, and reiterate the importance of replacing old trains and introducing new trains for citizen safety.

The new trains on Line 1 feature enhanced safety and convenience with CCTV installation, wider doors and seats, and polycarbonate seats. All 272 trains will be replaced by 2026, and trains on Line 2, which are over 25 years old, will also be replaced.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun said, “I thank those who are dedicated to Busan in various fields such as industry, safety, and transportation,” and added, “We will thoroughly manage safety at Busan’s sites and holiday preparation measures so that citizens can have a comfortable Lunar New Year holiday.”

Busan City has established holiday preparation measures in seven major areas including economy, safety, transportation, health, welfare, daily life, and tourism, and will operate comprehensive situation rooms at the city hall and district/county task forces during the Lunar New Year holiday period.