Ministry of the Interior and Safety Praises Gwangju City
for Excellence in Prevention, Response, and Recovery Evaluation
Gwangju City has been selected as an outstanding disaster management institution in the "2025 Disaster Management Evaluation of 17 Metropolitan Local Governments" organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. As a result, the city has received an institutional commendation and secured approximately 90 million won in special disaster safety grants.
Since 2005, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has been evaluating the disaster management capabilities of disaster management agencies every year under the "Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety." The ministry assesses the performance of 340 disaster management agencies on 40 indicators across different stages of disaster management, with the goal of diagnosing and improving their capabilities and raising the national standard of disaster management. The results are publicly announced each year.
The main evaluation items this year included: ▲ the disaster response capabilities of the mayor and vice mayor; ▲ performance in education and public awareness, mitigation activities by type, and facility safety management; ▲ manual management, establishment of cooperation systems, resource management, disaster preparedness training, and disaster alert message training; ▲ capabilities of disaster response working groups and responsible officials, initial response capabilities, and actual disaster and accident response cases; ▲ on-site recovery management capabilities, disaster relief, and recovery support. The evaluation was conducted through supporting documents and on-site interviews across these five areas.
The city conducted intensive inspections in both the first and second halves of the year regarding the implementation of each indicator and budget expenditure, and checked whether shortcomings from the previous year had been addressed. In particular, a mid-term briefing was held in October last year, presided over by the Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs, to focus on analyzing and managing underperforming indicators.
The city received high marks for the mayor's commitment and response capabilities, as the protection of citizens' lives and property is considered the "top priority" of city administration, and the disaster safety control tower has worked to ensure citizen safety from disaster incidents.
In addition, the city achieved excellent results in all areas of prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery, through initiatives such as the "Visiting Safety Campaign" to raise safety awareness among vulnerable groups like children, the elderly, and industrial workers; revitalization of the Safety Sinmungo for daily safety; establishment of public-private cooperation systems; and strengthening the response capabilities of disaster management officials.
Gwangju City has identified that recent disasters are due to factors such as climate change, urbanization, and increased reliance on technology. These disasters are not limited to single events but are expanding into new and complex disasters. In response, the city is implementing systematic and proactive preparedness and response measures. Under the eighth popularly elected administration, the city has set "safety is essential" as the core direction for safety policy to strengthen urban competitiveness, and is pursuing various policies to overcome complex disasters and minimize disaster impacts.
Bae Bokhwan, Director of the Citizens' Safety Office, stated, "This achievement is the result of the city's policy direction to make Gwangju a safe city at all times and places, as well as the voluntary participation and efforts of our citizens. We will do our utmost to protect the lives and property of our citizens from disasters and to create a safe and livable Gwangju where everyone can live with peace of mind."
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