▲ President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House on October 20.
Regarding the previous day's funeral service for the late Fire Lieutenant Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty at the scene of a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, President Lee Jae-myung said today (October 20), "Our people will forever remember Lieutenant Kim, who dedicated his life and sacrificed himself for the lives and safety of the people."
After making these remarks during a Cabinet meeting he presided over at the Blue House on this day, President Lee stated, "I pray for the repose of the deceased and extend my deepest condolences and words of comfort to the bereaved family."
He continued, "I also wish a speedy recovery to the injured firefighter," promising, "The state will now become family to the bereaved and serve as their dependable pillar of support."
President Lee particularly emphasized, "As seen in this tragic accident, threats to the lives and safety of our people exist everywhere in daily life," adding, "The state has an obligation to safely protect the daily lives of the people from all threats."
He urged, "Fortunately, since our administration took office, we have achieved meaningful results with significant decreases in workplace fatalities, suicides, and deaths from summer storms and floods, but we still have a long way to go," calling for officials to "meticulously overhaul systems and infrastructure across our society."
He then instructed, "Above all, a major overhaul and reinforcement is required for key functions dedicated to public safety, including firefighting, policing, disaster and hazard prevention, and healthcare," ordering them to "comprehensively review the entire system so that we can thoroughly protect not only citizens facing danger but also the safety of on-site personnel."
He also added, "We must break away from past practices, expand budgets and personnel, and proactively pursue effective institutional improvements."
Along with this, President Lee noted, "We must concentrate our national governance capabilities on creating a government that saves people's lives and a country that protects people's daily routines," remarking, "While there are fortunately no major accidents right now, just to be sure, I wonder if it would be advisable to carry out large-scale safety inspections on crowded facilities, bridges, and other structures."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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