President Lee Jae-myung Directs All-out Disaster Response, Prioritizing National Safety
President Lee Jae-myung recently ordered all government departments and related agencies to prepare for a full-scale response to the heavy rains that have struck the nation.
As this is the first large-scale natural disaster faced by the Lee Jae-myung administration, the President emphasized "national safety" as the top priority and highlighted the importance of proactive measures.
According to the Presidential Office on the 20th, President Lee canceled his scheduled town hall meeting in Busan on the 18th when the damage from heavy rains continued, and he moved directly to the Seoul Situation Center of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to preside over a "heavy rain response situation meeting."
During the meeting, the President emphasized that "the primary duty of the state is to protect the life and safety of its citizens," urging that "there are cases where loss of life has occurred because of inadequate responses to situations that could have been sufficiently predicted. I hope that such incidents do not happen again."
President Lee expressed a strong commitment to tackling industrial accidents. In the fourth senior aides’ meeting on the 17th, he stated, "The workplace, which should be the foundation of life, must not become a site of death," and emphasized that "we must cut off this disgrace of having the highest industrial accident or fatal injury rates during this government."
He specifically mentioned a worker's death accident that occurred at the POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks, stating, "We must quickly and thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and promptly verify whether there are any shortcomings in safety measures, holding those responsible accountable."
To achieve this, he directed the hiring of 300 additional labor inspectors, granting special judicial police qualifications to enforcement officials and reviewing specific measures such as surprise inspections of hazardous workplaces.
The President also emphasized that "overreaction is better than underreaction" in disaster response, stating, "No small mistake can be tolerated when it comes to protecting the lives of citizens." His request to government departments, local governments, and on-site managers for "flawless responses" demonstrates his firm commitment to safety.
Differentiating Safety-Centered Governance from Previous Administration
Following his election confirmation, President Lee mentioned one of the "five missions" entrusted by the public in his address of gratitude to the nation: "to fulfill the state’s primary responsibility of protecting the life and safety of citizens and to create a safe country."
Additionally, on the 16th, President Lee met directly with 207 bereaved families who lost loved ones in social disasters, including the Itaewon tragedy, the Muan passenger plane incident, the Osong underpass accident, and the Sewol Ferry disaster. He stated, "As the chief responsible person of the government, I extend my apologies on behalf of the government," adding, "I hope this serves as a moment where citizens do not lose their lives or suffer injuries due to government absence."
This clearly demonstrates the Lee Jae-myung government's governance philosophy of prioritizing national safety.
Image Source: Presidential Office, News1
