Turning our focus to a meeting held between the president and his top aides.
The liberal leader called for the formation of a special task force on fire safety measures.
Hwang Hojun has the latest from Cheongwadae.
President Moon Jae-in called for an overall safety check on fire-prone public facilities
as well as new safety measures to put an end to fire-related accidents.
"The pervasive feeling that we aren't safe, the tendency to go for stopgap measures.
This is another way of saying that safety is not a priority and that it's a waste of
money.
These are just the kind of deep-rooted evils we have to eradicate."
That was the President speaking during Monday's meeting with his top aides, just a couple
days after he visited the site of the hospital fire in Miryang last weekend,... which, as
of Monday morning, had resulted in 39 deaths.
The fire in Miryang came just over a month after another fire in a commercial building
that killed nearly 30 people in the city of Jecheon.
Since then, the Moon administration has been blamed by some for the deep flaws revealed
in the nation's safety.
The fires have been seen as a setback for President Moon's pledge to make the country
safer,... with the PyeongChang Winter Olympics coming up in a matter of days.
President Moon said the fundamental cause of catastrophes like these lies in the past,
a jab at the past two conservative administrations which were focused more on external growth.
But amid the finger-pointing, President Moon stressed that no one is blameless and asked
all parties to put their full efforts into righting this wrong.
"We can ask whether this was caused by local governments failing to properly manage safety
or by the National Assembly falling behind in safety-related legislation.
But ultimately, the people's lives and safety are the responsibility of the central government.
And with that in mind, I urge you take action."
The South Korean President called for the creation of a special task force within the
Blue House that will deal with fire safety measures.
He also insisted that the government come up with new methods that will find every last
problem with buildings across the country and let the public know about them.
Even if it takes time, he said, they can't continue with business as usual.
Several safety measures were suggested by the President, such as mandatory fire drills
and installing an emergency button at larger facilities that will alert the authorities.
When it comes to applying new safety rules to existing buildings, he asked his top aides
to find a way that won't put too much financial pressure on building owners.
Hwang Hojun, Arirang News.
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