"The Reason for the State's Existence: Protecting the Lives and Safety of the People"
Referring to the Sewol Ferry and Itaewon Tragedies...
"There Are Many Disasters That Can Be Avoided With Caution and Attention"
On June 5, President Lee Jaemyung held a National Safety and Security Inspection Meeting at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, attended by provincial governors from across the country. He emphasized that there must never be incidents in which citizens lose their lives or experience mass disasters due to the indifference or negligence of public officials. He also stated that, in cases where predictable accidents or incidents occur, the government would respond strictly.
In his opening remarks, President Lee said, "One of the greatest reasons for the existence of the state is to protect the lives and safety of its people." He continued, "Unfortunately, large-scale disasters, calamities, and crime-related damages occur frequently in daily life. While some of these may be unavoidable, there are quite a few disasters and accidents that could have been prevented if we had paid a bit more attention."
He added, "The rainy season is beginning, so we should review the situation. In the future, if people die or serious incidents occur, we must quickly analyze the causes and determine if the incidents could have been prevented. If negligence or indifference led to the accident, we must hold those responsible strictly accountable." He further stated, "I hope that there will never be cases where citizens experience mass disasters due to the indifference or negligence of public officials."
President Lee cited the Sewol Ferry disaster, the Itaewon tragedy, and the Osong underpass disaster as major incidents that must be reflected upon. He said, "These incidents seem to have unique characteristics. The Itaewon tragedy occurred because the crowd was not properly controlled or managed, while the Osong underpass disaster appears to have resulted from a lack of attention to minor facility management." He continued, "When I served as mayor of Seongnam and was responsible for disaster management, I found that most incidents could have been prevented with a bit more attention or advance preparation."
He also stated that a certain level of crime prevention is possible. President Lee said, "It is not easy to prevent all intentional criminal acts, but traffic accidents tend to occur frequently in certain areas. I believe that it is possible to prevent some damages in crime-prone areas and other security domains." Regarding the high suicide rate, he asked officials to examine the issue closely, as there is room for prevention and reduction if it is addressed in detail.
To this end, he stated that it is necessary to assign talented personnel to areas related to the lives and safety of citizens, rather than to sectors involving licensing and interests. President Lee said, "Departments or officials responsible for managing or overseeing the lives and safety of citizens tend to neglect the area of safety management. There has been a tendency to assign excellent personnel to licensing, while the departments related to the lives and safety of citizens have been neglected."
Meanwhile, the meeting was attended by Bang Kisun, Chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, as well as officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the National Police Agency, the National Fire Agency, the Korea Forest Service, and representatives from each city and province.
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