Kim Dong-yeon: "Break the mold, overcome civil servants' inertia in prevention, response, and aftermath"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province has formed and begun operating the Residents Safety Innovation Group, a policy advisory organization in the safety sector.

The innovation group consists of experts with rich experience and expertise from various fields and will serve as consultants from on-site locations across sectors.

The 'Residents Safety Innovation Group' commissioned on the 9th includes ▶Park Young-sook, Director of Neungnamu Library (community safety) ▶Lim Seung-bin, Professor of Public Administration at Myongji University (administration) ▶Lee Sang-gu, Co-representative of Welfare State Society (environment and industry) ▶Hong Soon-ui, Director of Gyeonggi Regional Headquarters, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (industrial accidents) ▶Jung Il-su, Director of Safe Village Research Institute (daily life safety) ▶Jeon Chi-hyung, Professor at KAIST Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy (science and technology) ▶Park Du-yong, Professor at Hansung University Department of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering (environmental engineering) ▶Yu Jung, Professor at Seokyeong University College of Liberal Arts and Character (disaster psychology) ▶Jung In-sook, Director of Women's Hotline 1366 Gyeonggi Northern Center (women's crime) and 8 other members, totaling 9 people.

At the commissioning ceremony, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon mentioned the joint training conducted on the 8th to prepare for social disasters. He said, "Yesterday we conducted social disaster training that simulated actual situations, and thinking of the 10.29 tragedy, my heart felt heavy. I felt ashamed and dismayed that the government and public sector failed to prevent accidents and responded inadequately after the incident."

He continued, "What I expect from the innovation group is for them to break the mold and help civil servants overcome the complacency and inertia they may have in accident prevention, response, and aftermath management," expressing his expectations.

The Residents Safety Innovation Group is one of the residents safety measures announced by Governor Kim Dong-yeon following the 10.29 tragedy.

Under this measure, Gyeonggi Province is operating the Safety Prevention Hotline (010-3990-7722), a safety suggestion channel for direct resident participation. On the 8th, it also conducted a joint social disaster preparedness training at a shopping mall in Suwon Station with the full mobilization of 32 public and private organizations.

The Province plans to expand the Residents Safety Innovation Group by additionally commissioning safety activists and bereaved families of social tragedy victims.

Meanwhile, following the commissioning ceremony, Professor Lee Jae-yeol from the Department of Sociology at Seoul National University, invited as a discussant for the Residents Safety Innovation Group, gave a presentation on the topic of 'Complex Disaster Society Korea Reconsidered Through the 10.29 Social Tragedy,' and discussions on improvements to the safety management system took place.