Interior ministry gathers 340 disaster officials to prepare for winter snow and cold

The interior ministry said Monday it opened a two-day workshop for about 340 central and local government officials handling natural disasters, aiming to sharpen the country's response to heavy snow and cold waves expected this winter.

The 2026 natural disaster workshop, hosted by the ministry under Minister Yoon Ho-jung, runs through Tuesday at the Yeosu Expo Convention Center in South Jeolla Province. The ministry said the gathering was organized to strengthen cooperation between the agencies involved and raise on-site response capacity ahead of the coming winter.

Officials began by reviewing how they handled this summer's storms and floods, heat waves and drought, and shared examples of good local responses. Discussion then turned to the winter measures each agency will put in place and how they will work together in the months ahead.

The interior ministry opened with its plan for coping with heavy snow and cold waves, followed by the Korea Meteorological Administration's outlook for this winter and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's road snow-removal measures. The three presentations were followed by a review of the coordination system between the agencies.

Kim Yong-kyun, head of the ministry's disaster response office, stressed the stakes. "Heavy snow and cold waves in winter not only cause great inconvenience to people's daily lives but can also lead to loss of life, so thorough preparation in advance is more important than anything," he said.

He added that the central and local governments would work closely together and further raise the response capacity of those on the ground so that the public can get through the winter safely.