Selected as an Excellent Disaster Management Institution for 10 Consecutive Years
Aiming to Become Korea's Third Certified City After Incheon and Ulsan
Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province is set to pursue certification as an 'International Safe City.'
On December 3, Yongin City announced that it had recently applied for 'Resilience Hub' certification from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
The city explained that it applied for this certification to share its accumulated achievements in disaster management with the international community and to further strengthen its disaster risk reduction activities. These achievements include being selected as an outstanding disaster management institution for ten consecutive years and receiving the Presidential Award for three consecutive years.
Lee Sangil, Mayor of Yongin, stated, "We have applied for this certification both to demonstrate the city's commitment to reducing disaster risks and building a safer city to the international community, and to further enhance our disaster prevention and response efforts through the certification process."
The UNDRR is an international organization established in 1999 to promote global cooperation in responding to disasters caused by climate change. The 'International Safe City' certification is a system in which the UNDRR recognizes cities that have made continuous technical efforts to address disaster and climate risks and to build safer urban environments. Currently, 29 cities worldwide have received this certification, with only two cities in South Korea-Incheon and Ulsan-having been certified so far.
In its application, Yongin City included examples of its disaster resilience and outlined plans for intercity education and technical support over the next three years.
To respond to disasters such as heat waves, heavy snowfall, and floods, the city has expanded its prevention-focused systems, including a smart disaster data integrated management system, 24-hour road and snow removal monitoring, and citizen safety insurance. During last year's record-breaking snowfall, Yongin attracted attention for its swift response using artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT)-based snow removal control systems.
The city has also steadily pursued international cooperation. Last year and this year, Yongin participated in the International Disaster Resilience Leaders Forum (IDRLF), presenting exemplary policies on snowstorm response, school safety programs, and citizen-led safety culture models, while expanding cooperation with the UNDRR and 'Making Cities Resilient (MCR) 2030' cities. 'MCR 2030' is a campaign launched by 12 international organizations to strengthen urban resilience by building integrated disaster risk management and networks based on risk information.
After obtaining UNDRR certification, the city plans to share its climate disaster prevention technologies, school safety programs, and citizen-participatory disaster prevention models with MCR 2030 cities worldwide. In February next year, Yongin will host a Sendai Framework-based scorecard workshop and continue to expand its cooperation with MCR 2030 cities, maintaining ongoing education and technology sharing activities.
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