'Large-scale Disaster Risk Improvement TF' Full Meeting Held
Targeting Four Major Areas Including Battery Fires and Industrial Complex Underground Installations
Establishing On-site Customized Measures... "Continuous Identification of Risk Factors"
The government is launching a focused inspection on four major disaster risk areas (▲battery fires ▲underground facilities in industrial complexes ▲nuclear power plants, dams, communication networks ▲electric vehicle charging station safety management). In particular, based on the 'Large-scale Disaster Risk Improvement TF' composed of nine agencies including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the National Fire Agency, and private experts, customized on-site countermeasures will be established.
On the 18th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety held the first plenary meeting of the 'Large-scale Disaster Risk Improvement TF' (hereinafter Improvement TF) to share the joint public-private on-site inspection plans and progress established so far and to discuss key issues by risk factor.
The TF was formed on July 2 following President Yoon Suk-yeol’s directive at the Cabinet meeting to establish 'proactive safety measures,' centering on related ministries and private experts. It consists of four teams covering battery fires, underground facilities in industrial complexes, nuclear power plants, dams, communication networks, and underground electric vehicle charging stations that could cause large-scale damage.
At the first meeting, in the industrial complex underground facilities sector, issues such as damage to pipe coatings, pipe burial locations and depths according to blueprints, and subsidence and cracking conditions around pipe burial sections were addressed. A representative from the Korea Conformity Laboratories, participating as an expert, suggested, "Since underground pipes in industrial complexes contain adjacent and densely packed chemicals with different safety standards, it is necessary to reorganize safety management standards."
In the nuclear power plants, dams, and communication networks inspection sector, discussions were held on aging and collapse of facilities and maintaining core functions in case of system failure. The inspection team, including private experts, reviewed safety and damage recovery measures for key facilities, as well as resident protection and evacuation plans during disasters. Additionally, in the electric vehicle charging station safety management sector, plans were discussed to conduct inspections in early August targeting 16 underground electric chargers and charging facilities. The targets include 10 multi-family housing complexes and 6 multi-use facilities (department stores, lodging facilities, hospitals, large marts, etc.).
Minister Lee Sang-min stated, "We will concentrate public and private capabilities to promptly prepare improvement measures for the four major sectors," and added, "The government will establish a system to continuously identify and improve disaster risk factors so that these improvement efforts do not remain one-time events."
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