The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS, Minister Kim Boo-Kyum) held the 2018 Korean Disaster and Safety Management Policy Session for Diplomatic Missions on May 16.

At the policy session, about 100 diplomatic envoys from 56 countries including Russian, Mexican, Iranian and Malaysian ambassadors attended, showing great interest in Korea’s disaster and safety management policies.

With 2.25 million foreigners living in Korea, the session was aimed at enhancing foreigners’ access to disaster and safety-related information and protecting their safety. The session provided information on Korea’s disaster management policies and cases to the diplomatic corps, who will then share the information with their nationals living in Korea for them to enjoy a safer daily life.

The event was held in collaboration with the Korea National Police Agency (KNPA), the Korea National Fire Agency (KNFA) and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, which are all in charge of counter-emergency measures.

MOIS introduced counter-emergency measures such as how to receive emergency alerts and how to find nearby shelter through Cell Broadcasting Service (CBS) and Emergency Ready App, as well as Korea’s civil defense drills.

KNPA explained Korea’s safety and crime-related laws and institutions, crime prevention, damages and violation of foreigners, and emergency report interpretation service.

And, KNFA shared how to report the outbreak of fire and request emergency services for foreigners, while Seoul Metropolitan Government introduced hands-on safety education and training programs.

Minister Kim Boo-Kyum of the Interior and Safety commented that “the Korean government strives to build a safe Korea, putting people first and respecting for life.” “We will do our best to raise foreigners’ access to safety information and improve safety infrastructure, so that foreign nationals can enjoy a safe environment just as Korean nationals,” he added.