Interior ministry launches nationwide safety inspections around elementary schools

The interior ministry said Monday it will inspect safety risks around more than 6,300 elementary schools from Aug. 24 through Sept. 23, as the new school term begins. The government conducts the inspections annually before schools open.

The joint campaign will involve 725 central government bodies, local governments and private groups. It will cover traffic safety, food safety, harmful environments, product safety and illegal advertising. Last year, the government cracked down on and addressed about 670,000 cases involving illegal advertising, traffic hazards and harmful environments around schools.

Traffic inspectors will check child protection zones for facility management, illegal parking, speeding and other violations. They will also address hazards at construction sites on school routes and aging facilities, while concentrating field personnel in accident-prone areas and enforcement blind spots.

Food-safety teams will inspect hygiene at school meal facilities, compliance with ingredient use-by dates, and nearby food businesses, including unmanned outlets. The ministry and the private Youth Harmful Environment Monitoring Group will inspect areas with concentrations of harmful businesses and provide guidance on signs barring youths from entry or employment. They will also check e-cigarette vending machines in education environment protection zones and target newly emerging harmful businesses.

Consumer groups will check stationery shops, convenience stores and unmanned stores for uncertified illegal children's products. Stores found selling such products will undergo additional inspections in October and November. Crews will repair dilapidated signs and immediately remove unreported banners and freestanding signs around school routes if they threaten traffic safety, applying guidelines on prohibited outdoor advertisements that took effect last November.

People who find hazards can report them through the Safety Report app or website, and the responsible agency will notify the complainant of the result or its response plan within seven days. The ministry will also run child-safety campaigns with local governments and publicize a pre-registration protection scheme to prevent child abduction or luring crimes.

"We will carefully identify risks around schools in advance and improve them swiftly so that children can begin the new term with peace of mind," Kim Gwang-yong, head of disaster and safety management at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said.