Interior ministry announces disaster-safety partnership among four institutions

The interior ministry said Friday that its National Disaster and Safety Education Institute and three other institutions signed a partnership to strengthen disaster-safety capabilities.

The memorandum of understanding, signed Aug. 13, brings together the National Disaster and Safety Education Institute, the Korea Power Exchange, Gwangju University and the Korea Disaster Safety Technology Institute.

The ministry said the agreement will pool the institutions' specialized knowledge, technology and educational infrastructure. It said the cooperation will improve disaster-safety expertise and strengthen the institutions' response capabilities.

The partnership includes joint disaster-safety research and policy development, research and technology exchanges on disaster management for the power industry and critical national infrastructure, and courses and teaching materials for specialist personnel. The institutions will also hold seminars, academic conferences and workshops for research-result sharing and expert networking.

"It is becoming increasingly important to strengthen multifaceted response capabilities not only for natural disasters, but also for social disasters involving critical national infrastructure such as electricity," Moon Young-hoon, head of the National Disaster and Safety Education Institute, said. "Based on this agreement, we will share the institutions' expertise and capabilities, systematically train specialists and do our utmost to create a safe society where the public can feel secure."