Hwaseong Special City Officially Declares Status as International Safe City

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Chan-hyuk] Hwaseong Special City officially declared its status as an 'International Safe City' while strengthening cooperation systems among relevant agencies and reaffirming its commitment to continuous action for citizens' lives and safety.

To this end, the city held an 'International Safe City Certification Agreement Ceremony' at the City Hall Central Conference Room on the 10th.

The ceremony was attended by Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun, City Council Speaker Bae Jeong-su, Co-Directors Jo Jun-pil and Park Nam-su of the International Safe Community Certification Centre, Education Superintendent Kim In-sook of the Hwaseong-Osan Office of Education, and Fire Chief Koh Moon-su of the Hwaseong Fire Department, among other key agency heads who have cooperated in the international safe city certification.

The ceremony was organized to officially declare the city's final approval as an 'International Safe City' from the International Safe Community Certification Centre (ISCCC) last year.

The event proceeded in the order of △a briefing session △signing of agreements △presentation of the International Safe City certification plaque and emblem △commemorative photo, with each agency sharing policies for creating a safe community environment and committing to jointly implement effective safety policies.

As an opportunity for this international safe city certification, the city plans to implement more systematic safety policies across all areas including △crime prevention △traffic safety △disaster response △industrial accident prevention △child and elderly protection, and will establish a sustainable safe city model in accordance with international safety standards.

In particular, the city will regularly convene the Hwaseong City Safety Committee comprised of approximately 30 organizations and groups, and will focus on supplementing and discovering projects in vulnerable areas to ensure the committee operates substantively rather than remaining merely formal.

International safe city certification, based on certification standards, analyzes cases of deaths and injuries from suicide, disasters, traffic accidents, crimes, and falls within the region to identify vulnerable areas, and through prevention and management thereof, reduces injury and mortality rates, resulting in decreased socioeconomic loss costs.

The event was originally planned as a large-scale 'International Safe City Certification Declaration Ceremony' but was converted to a simplified 'agreement ceremony' format in line with the purpose of international safe city certification.

Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun stated, "This international safe city certification is a precious result achieved together with our citizens," adding "Going forward, I will prioritize citizens' lives and safety and work to build an increasingly safer and happier Hwaseong Special City."