'Child safety' priority for dangerous commuting routes... measures for unmanned kids cafes as well

Ministry of the Interior and Safety to Establish Joint ‘Child Safety Implementation Plan’ with Related Ministries
Detailed plans in six areas including transportation, products, food, environment, facilities, and education

[Seoul=Newsis] Reporter Hwang Jun-sun = Minister Lee Sang-min of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety is seen instructing traffic safety measures on a school road in front of Seokyeong Elementary School in Seongdong-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of September 18th last year. 2023.09.18. [email protected][Seoul=Newsis] Reporter Kang Ji-eun = The government is pushing for prioritized improvements in dangerous school roads near children protection areas.

Safety management measures for unmanned kids cafes will be established in the first half of this year, and warning signs for ‘button-type batteries’ ingestion accidents will also be made mandatory.

On the 6th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, together with 14 central government ministries including the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Environment, and 17 cities and provinces, established the ‘2024 Comprehensive Government Child Safety Implementation Plan’ containing such content jointly.

This implementation plan includes detailed plans for six areas of transportation, products, food, environment, facilities, and education for this year in order to implement the ‘First Comprehensive Child Safety Plan (2022-2026)’ in accordance with the ‘Act on the Safety Management of Children’. The related budget amounts to a total of 655 billion won.

Key points include the government developing indicators to diagnose the safety of school roads near children protection areas by the end of the year and prioritizing the improvement of dangerous school roads based on the diagnosis results.

Specifically, new sidewalks will be installed in places without sidewalks, and guardrails that can withstand a collision of 8-ton vehicles at a 15-degree angle with a speed of 55 km/h will be installed on curve sections and downhill roads.

The government will also expand the installation of ‘smart crosswalks’ that analyze pedestrian and vehicle movements to warn of potential accidents in advance. To achieve this, a total of 200 billion won, including 100 billion won in government support special subsidies, will be invested.

Efforts will also be made in the areas of facilities, products, and food safety.

Following a joint government inspection of daycare centers, a concentrated safety inspection of indoor and water play facilities for children will be conducted until the 21st of next month.

Safety management measures for new types of play facilities such as unmanned kids pools and kids cafes will be established in the first half of this year to address safety blind spots.

Furthermore, when searching for kids cafes on major online portals, information on establishments with excellent safety management will be provided to help consumers make informed choices.

To prevent ingestion accidents of ‘button-type batteries,’ protective packaging and mandatory warning signs will also be pushed by the end of the year. Moreover, the number of convenience stores displaying caution messages on high-caffeine beverages on shelves will increase from 695 to 1000.

In addition, to raise awareness of safety and health, hygiene guidance and nutrition education will be conducted for small-scale child feeding centers, and the operation of ‘visiting environmental health and safety classrooms’ will be expanded to additional regions.

Minister Lee Sang-min of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety stated, “I will oversee changes in systems and budget execution for related ministries and local governments on a semi-annual basis to ensure the Child Safety Implementation Plan progresses smoothly without interruptions.”