**Review of Establishing an Integrated Emergency Reporting System**
President Lee Jae-myung has instructed a review of plans to integrate various emergency reporting and civil complaint numbers into a single contact for the convenience of the public.
On the 21st, Hankyoreh reported that President Lee has recently directed the consideration of introducing an “AI Integrated Civil Complaint System” utilizing artificial intelligence technology.
According to the report, this system is expected to operate by consolidating multiple emergency and civil complaint numbers into one, with AI analyzing call content to automatically transfer complaints to the relevant departments.
A presidential office official explained, "This measure considers that the general public may find it difficult to understand the detailed division of responsibilities across various ministries and agencies," and added that the "basic framework is currently being refined by several senior secretaries in the presidential office."
Currently, in South Korea, various reporting numbers such as 112 for police, 119 for fire and rescue services, and 110 for general complaints are dispersed, leading to confusion among the public. Additionally, separate reception systems and situation rooms managed by different agencies have resulted in challenges in sharing reporting and complaint contents efficiently.
**Benchmarking the U.S. 911 System**
This review appears to be benchmarking the United States' integrated emergency reporting system, 911.
In the U.S., requests for police, fire, and emergency medical services are efficiently processed through a single number, 911.
The presidential office recognizes the necessity of establishing a Korean-style "Integrated Situation Room" and has stated, "Specific directions are under discussion."
During his time as governor of Gyeonggi Province, President Lee also showed interest in improving the efficiency of civil complaint handling.
At that time, he implemented the Civil Complaint Coordinator system to prevent "ping-ponging" between departments, ensuring that the coordinator managed all complaints from reception to response and follow-up in a one-stop manner.
The presidential office is also reviewing plans for an "Inquiry Response Window" that would provide comprehensive counseling from damage reporting to compensation inquiries related to recent flood damage.
This plan was discussed as an agenda item during a special evaluation meeting on flood relief led by Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik on the 20th.
A presidential office official explained, "The jurisdiction over road recovery is complex, with wider roads (over 12m) handled by metropolitan municipalities and narrower roads by local authorities, making it difficult for citizens to understand," and noted, "Swift reception and response to reports in disaster areas are essential, so we are considering this."
In areas affected by the recent heavy rains, various damages, such as power outages and road washouts, have occurred, but instances of inadequate damage reporting have emerged due to the lack of a unified reporting channel.
Image Sources: President Lee Jae-myung / News1, Reference images to aid understanding of the article / gettyimagesbank, News1
