On June 11, the National Police Agency announced that it had held a countermeasure meeting presided over by Acting Commissioner Lee Hoyoung to prepare for summer disasters and calamities.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, this year's monsoon season is expected to begin in mid-June, and due to atmospheric instability, extreme downpours of over 100mm per hour are forecast to occur frequently.
The police will focus on preventive patrols in 8,694 special management vulnerable areas, which have been identified by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and local governments as having region-specific risk types, as well as in 985 underpasses where four-person teams, including police officers, have been designated as responsible.
If the Ministry of the Interior and Safety establishes the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, the police plan to activate an emergency operation system, including operating the disaster situation room and issuing disaster emergency alerts, and to establish a cooperative system with related agencies by dispatching liaison officers and other measures.
When a 112 emergency call is received and there is a possibility of casualties occurring or spreading, the police will immediately relay the situation to local governments and related agencies, and will designate the incident as Code 1 or higher, ordering the nearest patrol car and relevant units to respond promptly, regardless of the responsible department.
Lee Hoyoung, Acting Commissioner of the National Police Agency, emphasized, "It is important to recognize the necessity of disaster preparedness and to ensure that disaster response plans are properly implemented," and called for proactive measures as well as the safety and morale of personnel involved in disaster response.
Previously, on June 5, President Lee Jaemyung stressed the responsibility of the state and public officials, including the need to identify the causes of disasters and calamities in advance, during a safety and security inspection meeting.
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