Global center preps foreign residents for disaster

By Jon Dunbar

Seoul Global Center offers its “Disaster and Safety Class for Foreign Residents” this Thursday. The free course is full-day from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and is taught in Korean.

The course is divided into three sections: disaster assessment, disaster response and first aid.

Korea is vulnerable to various natural and manmade disasters. Several prominent building fires last year ended many lives. The southeastern region has also been rocked by earthquakes, most notably Gyeongju in 2016 and Pohang in 2017. Although neither quake was lethal, they exposed the country's unpreparedness for such disasters.

Participants learn what to do in case of emergency, such as evacuation procedures and how to report the situation to the authorities. They also can learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use a defibrillator.

The class is held on the ninth floor of the Seoul Global Center building. It is near exit 6 of Jonggak Station on Line 1. Visit fb.com/sgcnewsroom or call (02) 2075-4160 for more information or to register.