Gov't to review $1.5 bil. funding support for firefighting efforts
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, right, shakes hands with Choi Yong-chul, head of the National Fire Agency, during a meeting at the prime minister's residence in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap
The government has agreed to consider funding about 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion) for essential investments related to firefighting efforts, a ruling party official said Sunday.
The move came as part of discussions to ease the fiscal burden on provincial governments, Democratic Party of Korea chief spokesperson Park Sung-joon said at a press briefing following a consultation session between the government, the ruling party and Cheong Wa Dae.
Additional budget funds to prepare firefighting equipment and training facilities, as well as strengthening a medical system centered on firefighting efforts, will also be factored in for a review of next year's budget, Park said.
Currently, provincial governments fund the bulk of the firefighting-related budget, with only about 10 percent of the total amount funded by the central government.
At the meeting, Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said the government will review whether it is providing full support for firefighters before asking them to devote themselves to public safety.
In the meeting, held a day ahead of the 64th anniversary of the Day of Firefighting, Han paid tribute to the late Kim Jin-seok, a firefighter who died while responding to a factory fire in Bucheon, west of Seoul, last month.
"There are many things for the government to take care of, but the lives and safety of the public are one of the top priorities. There is nothing that precedes this," Han said.
Han, meanwhile, vowed to thoroughly inspect preparations for the winter cold, stressing that heavy snow and cold are natural disasters that threaten people's daily lives.