"24-Hour Situation Management During Lunar New Year"...All Ministries Mobilized for Accident Prevention and Disaster Response

MOIS to Implement Measures Following Review Meeting
All Risk Factors to Be Inspected Before the Holiday
24-Hour Situation Management System by Central and Local Governments

The government will take thorough measures during the Lunar New Year holiday to ensure traffic safety in case of bad weather, respond to fires such as wildfires, and prevent the spread of livestock infectious diseases.

Yonhap News Agency

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 10th that, in order to ensure a safe and enjoyable Lunar New Year holiday, it will implement a joint holiday safety management plan together with central and local governments.

This plan was prepared to prevent safety accidents during the holiday in advance, following a review meeting on the countermeasures presided over by Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Hojoong. In particular, the government examined risk factors associated with the Lunar New Year holiday, such as large-scale road isolation and congestion caused by heavy snowfall and cold waves, and wildfires sparked by mourners visiting ancestral graves.

First, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will maintain a 24-hour situation management system in cooperation with relevant ministries and local governments, with the Central Disaster and Safety Situation Room at the core. Through daily situation meetings, it will share information on accident status with each agency, and will ensure thorough safety management during the holiday by responding swiftly in the event of disasters or accidents.

Facilities vulnerable to heavy snow and strong winds, as well as places where many people gather such as traditional markets and local festivals, will undergo safety inspections before the holiday, and any risk factors identified will be addressed immediately.

The government will also check whether disaster relief funds have been provided and whether residential facilities are being properly managed for people displaced by wildfires and heavy rain last year, while intensively publicizing government helpline contact numbers and safety guidelines that can be used in emergencies during the holiday.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will strengthen traffic safety management in preparation for increased traffic volume during the holiday. From the 13th to the 18th, it will operate a Special Traffic Countermeasure Headquarters to focus on emergency measures in the event of traffic accidents and on maintaining smooth vehicle flow. If weather conditions deteriorate, it will also operate task forces for each sector so that inconvenience is minimized while prioritizing passenger safety on roads, railways, and air transport.

By the start of the holiday, inspections of major vulnerable sectors will be completed, including: sections of expressways and national highways prone to icing, bridges, tunnels, and safety facilities; railway vehicles and equipment; and aircraft control and navigation facilities.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Coast Guard will also maintain a 24-hour emergency contact system through their Special Traffic Countermeasure Headquarters in preparation for an increase in passengers on ferries, fishing charter boats, and other vessels.

The National Fire Agency will implement special emergency duty to respond quickly to fires during the holiday. Before the holiday, it will conduct special fire inspections of multi-use facilities such as movie theaters and saunas, and will step up patrols at vulnerable residential facilities such as shanty areas and vinyl greenhouses used as housing. It will also reinforce situation personnel at emergency medical control centers to ensure there are no disruptions in providing information on emergency medical services and on hospitals and clinics during the holiday.

The Korea Forest Service will start the wildfire prevention period earlier than usual and will pre-position firefighting resources, focusing on vulnerable areas. The National Police Agency has designated the period from the 9th to the 18th as a special public security period and will mobilize all available police forces, including local police, mobile patrol units, and riot police units, to intensively manage areas vulnerable to crime and accidents.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will designate a "National Simultaneous Disinfection Day" to prevent the spread of livestock infectious diseases such as avian influenza and African swine fever, and will carry out intensive disinfection of farm access roads and surrounding roads.

In addition, relevant ministries and agencies will implement safety measures in their respective areas of responsibility, including: operation of an emergency medical care system (Ministry of Health and Welfare); workplaces vulnerable to cold waves (Ministry of Employment and Labor); infectious diseases (Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency); food safety (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety); traditional markets (Ministry of SMEs and Startups); hydrogen, electric, and gas facilities (Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy); and tourism and accommodation facilities (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism).

Minister Yoon said, "The government will do its utmost to ensure that the people can enjoy a safe and pleasant Lunar New Year holiday by identifying vulnerable factors in advance and maintaining seamless 24-hour situation management."