Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Receives Prime Minister’s Commendation in the Government Awards for Distinguished Contributions to National Disaster Management

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Acting Mayor Kim Kyung-duk, announced that it has been selected as an outstanding institution for four consecutive years in the Disaster Response Safe Korea Training evaluation organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and has received the Prime Minister’s Commendation in the Government Awards for Distinguished Contributions to National Disaster Management (Safe Korea Training Category).

The Disaster Response Safe Korea Training is a large-scale nationwide exercise conducted in accordance with the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety. Designed to prepare for large-scale and complex disasters, the training involves the central government, local governments, public institutions, and the general public.

Busan Metropolitan City was recognized as an Outstanding Safe Korea Training Institution for four consecutive years (2022–2025) and received the Prime Minister’s Commendation this year.

Following the inclusion of “crowd crush incidents” as an official disaster category on July 16, 2024, the city conducted a pan-government joint exercise last year (2025) at Gangseo Sports Park. The exercise simulated a scenario in which an explosion, fire, and a large-scale crowd accident occurred simultaneously at a performance venue, with participation from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Gangseo-gu District, fire authorities, military forces, and police agencies.

The exercise was held on September 24, 2025, with participation from 25 organizations and approximately 1,000 residents. The disaster scenario was selected in consideration of the National Sports Festival and National Para Sports Festival scheduled to be held in Busan that October, as well as the concentration of large-scale local festivals and performances during the autumn season.

The exercise assumed a situation in which an explosion and fire broke out during the opening ceremony of a local festival, causing severe congestion as large numbers of spectators attempted to evacuate simultaneously, ultimately resulting in a major crowd crush incident. A field exercise was conducted at Gangseo Sports Park, while a discussion-based exercise was held simultaneously at the City Hall Disaster Situation Room (Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters).

In particular, the exercise received high praise for involving large numbers of participants, including citizens and disaster management personnel; integrating discussion-based and field exercises through live video transmission and the Public Safety-LTE (PS-LTE) network; conducting realistic, scenario-based training; and deploying a wide range of equipment, including fire and police helicopters, elevated crowd-monitoring vehicles, and disaster psychological recovery support vehicles.

Acting Mayor Kim Kyung-duk stated, “This Prime Minister’s institutional commendation is a meaningful achievement made possible through the cooperation of related organizations and citizens as well as the city administration. Busan Metropolitan City will continue to conduct training exercises to prepare for large-scale and complex disaster situations, strengthen cooperative systems with relevant agencies, enhance disaster response capabilities, and build a safer Busan that protects the lives and safety of its citizens.”