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| The swimming pool of the Korea Coast Guard Academy in Yeosu, North Jeolla Province, is empty Tuesday, a day after President Park Geun-hye announced a plan to abolish the Coast Guard for its mishandling of the sinking of the ferry Sewol. A swimming test was scheduled Tuesday, but cancelled. / Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
After President Park Geun-hye said she will create a new national disaster control tower, during a televised address Monday, all eyes are now focused on the role of the tentatively titled National Safety Agency (NSA).
President Park said the new organization will cover all sorts of disasters ― maritime, land, aviation, energy and chemical accidents ― during her speech about the Sewol ferry disaster.
Park said the agency, under the control of the prime minister, will aim to prevent major accidents and better handle any emergencies that occur.
The NSA will have three departments covering land safety, maritime safety and other special disasters.
Its maritime safety department, which will take over the handling of sea disasters from the Korea Coast Guard (KCG), will have four local branches covering the West Sea, East Sea, South Sea and Jeju Island.
This comes after Park decided to dismantle the KCG for its lax rescue efforts during the Sewol catastrophe that claimed hundreds of lives, mostly high school students.
The land safety department will control fire defense headquarters, local governments and other concerned bodies to ensure they jointly confront accidents on land.
The special disasters department will be responsible for air, chemical and other accidents.
Park's address came as criticism arose that the nation does not have a proper control tower to effectively cope with disasters from their initial stages. The lack of such a control tower was cited as one of the biggest reasons so many died in the ferry accident.
However, critics and opposition lawmakers raised concern that the envisioned plan could lead to creating a giant organization without improvement in the country's ability to handle disasters.
"It seems doubtful the agency will be able to handle ocean and land disasters at the same time. President Park seems to want to create an ineffective giant organization in the name of safety," said Park Kwang-on, spokesman of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD).
The NPAD is arguing that the National Security Council (NSC) of the presidential office should play the role of disaster control tower, saying Cheong Wa Dae should take full responsibility for the people's safety, rather than shifting the mission onto the prime minister's office.
Shim Ik-sup, a professor at the department of public administration of Dongguk University, pointed out that the concerns come as the decision was made quickly without thorough discussion.
"Plans to reorganize the governmental offices should be drawn up through compact analysis and discussion with various experts," he said. "Such things cannot be done through a president's unilateral order."
Skepticism has been also raised over whether dismantling the Coast Guard is a good idea. The NPAD said President Park attempted to shift the responsibility to the KCG, while saying she felt huge responsibility for the disaster as the head of state.
"If the Coast Guard is disbanded, who has to patrol the seas against Chinese fishing boats?" said Rep. Park Jie-won of the NPAD. "I support the need for overall reform of the Coast Guard, but I disagree with its dissolution."
He added if the government removes organizations whenever they make errors, there will eventually be no government offices left.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
