Gwangju City Named 'Outstanding' in Disaster Management... Secures 130 Million Won in Special Grant

Selected as an Outstanding Institution in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety Evaluation

Gwangju City has been selected as an outstanding institution in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's "2025 Metropolitan Local Government Disaster Management Evaluation," earning a commendation from the Minister of the Interior and Safety and securing a special disaster safety grant of 130 million won.

Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall. Photo by Song Bohyun

According to Gwangju City on December 26, the disaster management evaluation is a system that inspects the response system and on-site capabilities of disaster management agencies in accordance with the "Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety." This year’s evaluation was conducted based on 40 indicators across five areas: common, prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery, through document verification and on-site interviews. The evaluation included all stages such as the disaster response capacity of local government heads, education, publicity and risk reduction activities, manual management and cooperation systems, as well as initial response and accident handling cases.

Gwangju City received positive evaluations for strengthening the functions of the disaster safety command center and establishing a proactive response system. In response to the expansion of disaster patterns from single disasters to new and complex disasters due to climate change, urbanization, and increased technological dependence, the city set "Safety is Essential" as the core direction of its 8th popularly elected administration's safety policy and has implemented policies focused on prevention and minimizing damage, which contributed to its achievements.

Kim Junyoung, Director of the Gwangju City Citizen Safety Office, stated, "This evaluation is the result of the city’s policy direction to create a safe Gwangju anytime and anywhere, together with the voluntary participation of citizens," adding, "We will continue to do our utmost to protect the lives and property of citizens from disasters and to make Gwangju even safer tomorrow."