Visit to the Osong Underpass Disaster Site on the 7th
“Agencies Must Actively Cooperate and Be Prepared”, ‘[Edaily Reporter Son Eui-yeon] Yoo Jae-sung, the acting Commissioner of the National Police Agency (deputy commissioner), visited the site of the Osong underpass disaster to commemorate the second anniversary of the tragedy. This was his first field activity since his appointment on the 30th of last month.’,
Yoo, the acting Commissioner, paid his respects to the victims with a moment of silence and inspected the Gungpyeong 2 underpass, examining ‘vehicle entry blocking facilities’ and ’emergency evacuation facilities’.
He emphasized to accompanying police officials that “the Osong underpass disaster is one of the incidents that led to reflection and change within our police force,” and stressed that “collective disasters caused by the indifference of the state and public officials should never occur.”
Previously, President Lee Jae-myung mentioned the Sewol ferry disaster, the Itaewon disaster, and the Osong underpass disaster, emphasizing that “these were disasters that could have been avoided with a little more attention” and that “predictable accidents should never happen due to negligence or neglect.”
President Lee further urged public officials to remember that “while issues like economic prosperity and livelihood are important, the most crucial thing is to protect the lives and safety of citizens.”
In response, acting Commissioner Yoo highlighted the importance of thorough disaster management as the police’s duty to protect the lives and property of the people.
Additionally, he noted, “With the meteorological agency forecasting heavy rainfall centered in the central region, even though the monsoon season has ended in the southern regions and Jeju, we should actively cooperate with municipalities and related agencies and ensure we are ready to respond immediately to any disasters, while also keeping our field officers’ safety in mind.”
The police plan to categorize disaster-related 112 emergency calls as Code 1, simultaneously notifying municipalities and related agencies, and dispatch the nearest patrol cars swiftly, irrespective of the jurisdiction. Furthermore, in case of a resident evacuation order from local governments, the police will actively support the evacuation of vulnerable groups like the elderly, conduct searches in evacuation areas, control access to hazardous areas, and focus on maintaining social order to prevent crimes in affected areas.