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Busan City Launches Final Preparations and Full Emergency Response System Ahead of Monsoon Season

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The Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) held a special safety management briefing on the afternoon of June 18 in anticipation of the monsoon season starting on June 20, and declared the launch of its full emergency response system.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heavy rain is forecast to begin in the central and southern regions starting June 20 and continue nationwide through June 21.

Since March, the city has operated a Summer Storm and Flood Risk Management Task Force, led by the Vice Mayor, to prepare for seasonal disasters. The task force held 11 meetings and conducted 83 on-site inspections.

At the June 18 briefing, Vice Mayor Lee Joon-seung led the meeting with heads of relevant departments, all 16 district/county offices, police, fire services, and public corporations. Discussions focused on:

• ●Strengthening storm and flood response systems

• ●Inspecting disaster-prone areas and eliminating risk factors

• ●Establishing preemptive control and evacuation systems

To enhance its disaster response:

• ●The city expanded emergency response teams and raised alert levels for strong winds

• ●An additional 763 CCTV units were deployed for real-time site monitoring

For risk-prone areas:

• ●339 locations were designated as high-risk for casualties

• ●51 of them were prioritized for intensive management

• ●Facilities such as 414 river access barriers, 78 emergency shelters, 21 underpass evacuation exits, 33 forced drainage systems, and 491 subway flood barriers were fully installed

Other pre-monsoon safety efforts included:

• ●Removing five temporary bridges, cofferdams in Dongcheon Stream, and completing disaster prevention work in Myeongjang Park

• ●Conducting inspections at 324 major construction sites and 360 landslide-vulnerable zones

To ensure readiness for unexpected extreme weather, the city:

• ●Pre-designated 660 evacuees and 784 civil/public evacuation assistants

• ●Will proactively close riverside and underground roads following emergency protocols

Vice Mayor Lee also highlighted two key issues:

• 1.The June 14 manhole accident—prompting a full inspection of 14,847 uncovered manholes, with all to be retrofitted with fall prevention devices by year’s end

• 2.The early morning evacuation of 11 households in Dong-gu on June 14, which successfully prevented injuries—he urged all districts to place human life as the top priority

Lee emphasized:

“Recent record-breaking rainfall in Busan proves that we must always prepare for the worst. I ask all citizens to stay informed of weather alerts and fully cooperate with control and evacuation orders issued by local authorities.”