Hapcheon County Focuses Administrative Capacity on Preemptive Disaster Response

"No More Disaster or Accident Damage"
Strengthening Local Safety Control Tower Functions
Establishing Proactive Disaster Preparedness and Perfect Recovery Systems

Hapcheon County in Gyeongnam announced on the 19th that it is focusing its administrative capabilities on the safety sector to ensure that residents can live comfortably and safely.

In recent years, various and complex disasters such as flood damage caused by dam discharges, large-scale wildfires, and the flooding of Daeyang Yangsan Village have occurred. Hapcheon County is making every effort to prioritize the safety of its residents against increasingly severe and unpredictable disasters, and to protect the lives and property of its people through swift and efficient disaster response.

The county is proactively promoting preventive measures against various disasters, including natural and social disasters. In the event of a disaster, the Deputy County Governor takes a hands-on approach by operating the Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, serving as the control tower for safety administration to overcome disaster situations as early as possible.

The Hapcheon County Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting is in progress.

In 2023, Hapcheon County was selected as an outstanding institution for the Safe Korea Exercise, the Eulji Exercise, and intensive safety inspections. In particular, the county was recognized for its excellence in disaster management by being selected as an outstanding institution for both the disaster response Safe Korea Exercise and intensive safety inspections for two consecutive years.

The county will continue to prioritize the safety of its residents and maintain a state of preparedness to ensure it has the capacity to respond quickly in the event of a disaster.

As daily life has returned to normal following COVID-19, the number of festivals and events has surged since 2023. In response, the county has devoted significant effort to preventing safety accidents. In 2023, it established safety management plans for 53 events, and for 11 major events, conducted safety management plan reviews and joint safety inspections with relevant agencies (police, fire department, etc.).

The county also operates a mobile safety classroom for residents. If a group of 10 or more applies for training in a desired field such as daily life, traffic, health, or safety, an instructor is dispatched to the desired location and time to conduct the training. While the program primarily targets vulnerable groups with limited access to safety education, it has been expanded to include any residents who wish to participate. The county plans to continue expanding the safety classroom to strengthen residents' disaster response capabilities.

In 2024, the county is investing a total project budget of 413.7 billion KRW in disaster mitigation projects, including: three comprehensive improvement projects for flood-prone areas subsidized by national and provincial funds (119.5 billion KRW), nine natural disaster risk improvement district projects (243.1 billion KRW), six steep slope improvement projects (23.9 billion KRW), and one stormwater retention facility installation project (26.9 billion KRW), all to be completed by 2026 to protect the lives and property of residents.

Recently, the frequency of localized heavy rainfall has increased due to climate change and global warming, raising the risk of flooding. In response, in 2022, the county completed the construction of a smart flood management system and introduced a remote control system for drainage facilities using information and communication technology at 72 drainage gates in national and local rivers, ensuring rapid disaster response and efficient facility maintenance.

To prevent disasters in advance of the rainy season, the county conducts detailed inspections and performance evaluations of drainage gates and embankment facilities in national and local rivers, and strives to create eco-friendly leisure spaces for residents by thoroughly managing waterfront parks and other leisure areas along national rivers.

At the CCTV Integrated Control Center, completed in 2016, 16 monitoring staff use more than 1,180 video surveillance devices to conduct real-time monitoring 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In 2023 alone, the center responded in real time to 211 incidents and accidents such as theft, traffic accidents, and fires, and provided 440 video recordings to relevant agencies to help solve 352 cases. The CCTV Integrated Control Center will continue to play a key role in crime prevention and in protecting the lives and property of residents.

Hapcheon County has established a new organization dedicated to the prevention of serious accidents, identifying and addressing hazardous and risky factors through workplace safety and health inspections, and is making every effort to create safe and healthy workplaces.

In particular, since January 2024, with the Serious Accident Punishment Act now fully applied to workplaces with five or more regular employees, the county is thoroughly fulfilling its responsibilities by promoting support projects for private workplaces (such as consulting support for serious accident prevention, rental of safety equipment for roof work, and various training sessions) and raising safety awareness in the private sector.

Kim Yooncheol, the governor of Hapcheon County, stated, "We will do our utmost to implement field-oriented and preventive disaster safety policies so that all residents can enjoy their daily lives in a safe and pleasant environment, and to ensure rapid response and recovery in the event of a disaster."