Yangcheon-gu Volunteer Disaster Prevention Team Receives Ministry of the Interior and Safety National Disaster Management Commendation for Second Consecutive Year

Recognized Among the Top 10% Nationwide
for Contributions to Disaster Prevention and Response

On October 3, 2025, Yangcheon-gu in Seoul (District Mayor Lee Gijae) announced that the district’s Volunteer Disaster Prevention Team had been awarded the “2025 National Disaster Management Merit” Minister of the Interior and Safety Commendation for its contributions to disaster prevention and response activities.

Yangcheon-gu Volunteer Disaster Prevention Team is inspecting rainwater inlets in preparation for flood and typhoon disasters. Provided by Yangcheon-gu.

The Yangcheon-gu Volunteer Disaster Prevention Team has once again received this honor following last year’s award, being selected as one of the top 10% outstanding organizations nationwide for two consecutive years. The “National Disaster Management Merit” commendation is a government award organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, presented to individuals or organizations that have demonstrated significant achievements in national disaster management, including proactive disaster prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.

This year’s evaluation comprehensively reviewed the operational systems, activity performance, and disaster response capabilities of volunteer disaster prevention teams from 229 local governments across the country. The recognition is seen as an acknowledgment of the public-private partnership-based disaster management system jointly established by Yangcheon-gu and its Volunteer Disaster Prevention Team.

The Yangcheon-gu Volunteer Disaster Prevention Team is a civilian-led, voluntary disaster prevention organization composed of approximately 320 residents from 18 neighborhoods. The district has enacted the “Ordinance on the Operation of the Yangcheon-gu Volunteer Disaster Prevention Team” to provide administrative support for efficient operations.

The team carries out disaster prevention activities closely related to residents’ daily lives, such as patrolling high-risk areas, inspecting snow removal in vulnerable locations, maintaining rainwater inlets and preventing flooding, controlling traffic on school routes, and inspecting cooling shelters and shade structures. In the event of a disaster, the team is also deployed to recovery sites to help minimize damage, playing a key role in strengthening the local safety network.

Lee Gijae, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, stated, “I am deeply grateful that the dedicated efforts of the Volunteer Disaster Prevention Team, who have quietly devoted themselves to protecting the safety of our community from disasters, have been recognized with this ministerial commendation. Moving forward, we will continue to strengthen our disaster response system through public-private cooperation to make Yangcheon an even safer city.”