Prime Minister of Korea: “Before asking for firefighters’ dedication, we will look into support to support their dedication.”

“Nothing comes before the lives and safety of the people…Discussions on expanding financial support for firefighting.”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lim Hyeong-seop and Hwang Yoon-ki = Prime Minister Han Seong-sook promised on the 8th to firefighters, "Before asking them to dedicate themselves to the people, I will look back responsibly to see whether the government is doing its part to support that dedication and what kind of support is needed."

Prime Minister Han said this at a high-level party-government conference held at the Prime Minister's official residence in Samcheong-dong, Seoul on this day, saying, "Tomorrow is the 64th anniversary of Firefighting Day. I pray for the rest of the soul of the late Kim Jin-seok, a member of the fire department who died in the line of duty while working to extinguish a fire at a recent fire site."

Prime Minister Han emphasized, "There are many things the government must take care of, but the top priority is the lives and safety of the people. Nothing comes before this."

In particular, with regard to the field of firefighting, he said, "Considering the difficulties in local finances, we will discuss expanding financial support for essential projects and labor costs, etc." He added, "We will act quickly on things that can be changed immediately, and even in the case of tasks that require consultation, we will prepare solutions by taking into account the sense of urgency in the field."

Regarding response to natural disasters in the winter, he emphasized, "Heavy snowfall and cold waves are problems that threaten the daily lives of the people," and "There is no time more difficult than winter for vulnerable groups to survive the day. We will carefully check the standards of disaster preparedness based on the lives of each and every citizen."