🚨 Disaster Control Tower

Today Korean Social News for Beginners | 2025.10.07

0️⃣ Disaster Control Tower Confusion: Structural Problems Revealed by Major Computer Network Fire

📌 Dual System Between Prime Minister's Office and Ministry Causes On-Site Command Confusion…Key Issue in National Audit

💬 A major fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIA) Daejeon Center shut down 647 information systems at once, putting the government's disaster response system under criticism again. From the beginning of the incident, the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety both claimed to be the control tower, causing confusion in on-site command and delaying recovery work. While the Prime Minister called a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting, the Minister of Interior and Safety separately inspected the site, creating a dual command system. This led to confusion in deciding recovery priorities, resource allocation, and coordination between agencies, increasing public inconvenience and distrust. Critics point out that the disaster response system, which was supposed to improve after the Sewol Ferry disaster, is still divided. This is expected to be a key issue in the upcoming national audit.

💡 Summary

• A disaster control tower is the central organization that coordinates all response activities when a disaster occurs.
• The Daejeon Center fire brought attention to the dual control tower problem between the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Interior and Safety.
• A unified command system and clear authority distribution are needed for fast disaster response.

1️⃣ Definition

A disaster control tower is an organization or system that coordinates and directs the response activities of all government departments and agencies at the central government level when a national disaster or major accident occurs. Its main purpose is to ensure fast and consistent disaster response by coordinating the roles of each agency and overseeing decision-making.

Because disaster response is complex work involving many departments and agencies, without a control tower, each agency may act separately, leading to duplicate work or missing necessary actions. Therefore, an effective control tower concentrates information, distributes resources efficiently, and clarifies responsibility.

💡 Why Is This Important?

• It enables fast and consistent response in disaster situations.
• It prevents duplication and gaps between agencies, helping efficient resource use.
• It is a key element of the national safety net that protects people's lives and property.
• It clarifies responsibility, making evaluation and improvement possible after disasters.

2️⃣ Problems with the Current Disaster Response System

📕 Dual Structure of Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Interior and Safety

• Overlapping legal authority causes confusion. Main problems include:

  • According to the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety, the Minister of Interior and Safety is supposed to head the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
  • However, in large-scale disasters or national crisis situations, the Prime Minister can take over as the head.
  • There is no clear standard for what counts as "large-scale," causing controversy every time.
  • When both the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry act together, people in the field don't know whose instructions to follow.

• Roles and responsibilities between departments are unclear. Main situations include:

  • The lead department changes depending on the type of disaster, and in these cases, the Ministry's coordination authority doesn't work properly.
  • The Daejeon Center fire was an information and communication disaster, so the Ministry of Science and ICT also got involved, creating a three-way division.
  • Each department only focuses on its own work, and overall coordination doesn't happen.
  • At disaster sites, duplicate instructions are given, or on the contrary, no one takes responsibility, creating gaps.

📕 Specific Problems Revealed in the Daejeon Center Fire

• Command system confusion occurred in the initial response. Main examples include:

  • Two hours after the fire started, the Prime Minister called a headquarters meeting, but the Minister of Interior and Safety separately inspected the site.
  • In deciding recovery priorities, the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Interior and Safety, and Ministry of Science and ICT each suggested different criteria.
  • Key decisions like bringing in private experts and using backup computer resources were delayed.
  • Field workers said it was hard to decide which instructions to follow because orders from above conflicted.

• Inefficiency and confusion continued during recovery. Main problems include:

  • It took more than a day to decide which of the 647 systems to recover first.
  • Coordination between departments wasn't smooth in activating backup systems and securing alternative servers.
  • Public communication was inconsistent, with the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Interior and Safety, and Ministry of Science and ICT each making separate announcements.
  • It wasn't clear who should lead the investigation into the cause of the accident and accountability, making fast response difficult.

💡 Main Problems with Dual Disaster Control Tower

1. Command System Confusion: Unclear who the final decision-maker is, delaying decisions
2. Inefficient Resource Distribution: Duplicate investment or gaps make efficient response difficult
3. Unclear Responsibility: Hard to determine who is responsible in post-evaluation
4. Department Selfishness: Each department focuses only on protecting its own authority and territory
5. Increased Public Distrust: Seen as government incompetence and irresponsibility, lowering trust

3️⃣ Improvement Plans and International Examples

✅ Control Tower Unification Plan

• Legal authority and responsibility must be clearly defined. Main improvement plans include:

  • The Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety should be revised to specify the control tower as a single agency.
  • The criteria for large-scale disasters should be specifically defined, and authority should automatically transfer to the Prime Minister's Office when met.
  • Or, regardless of disaster size, the Prime Minister's Office should always oversee, while the Ministry handles practical coordination.
  • A clause is needed to force lead departments to follow the control tower's instructions.

• A practical command system must be built. Main plans include:

  • A situation room should operate 24 hours within the headquarters, with all information concentrated in real-time.
  • A physical space is needed where personnel dispatched from each department, local government, and public agency gather in one place for integrated response.
  • Communication channels between decision-makers and working-level staff should be simplified, and the system should be improved so instructions are clearly delivered.
  • Regular training and simulations should verify that the system works without confusion in actual disaster situations.

✅ Institutional Supplements and Budget Support

• Disaster response manuals must be integrated and standardized. Main content includes:

  • Crisis management manuals currently made separately by each department and agency should be organized into one integrated manual.
  • Lead departments, cooperating agencies, and role divisions should be clearly specified by disaster type.
  • Manuals should be regularly reviewed and updated to avoid disconnection from reality.
  • All public officials and related agency workers should receive education to increase familiarity.

• Computer infrastructure and backup systems must be strengthened. Main tasks include:

  • The risk of major computer systems being concentrated in one place, as in this incident, should be distributed.
  • Backup centers should be built in geographically separate locations, maintaining real-time data synchronization.
  • Alternative systems and procedures that can be quickly switched when disasters occur should be prepared.
  • Sufficient budget and personnel should be secured for this, with continuous investment.

✅ Major Countries' Disaster Response Systems

• The United States responds with integrated coordination centered on FEMA. Main features include:

  • FEMA is an independent agency under the Department of Homeland Security that oversees all disaster response.
  • When the President declares a disaster, FEMA immediately activates to coordinate federal-level support.
  • Each state and local government handles initial response, while FEMA plays a support and coordination role.
  • It operates efficiently with a clear command system, abundant resources, and accumulated experience.

• Japan responds centered on the Cabinet Office's Disaster Management Division. Main features include:

  • Japan has a well-established disaster response system due to frequent natural disasters like earthquakes and typhoons.
  • The Cabinet Office has a disaster management department that integrates preparation in peacetime and response during disasters.
  • While local governments play a large role, the central government provides standardized manuals and support.
  • Disaster response culture is established throughout society through regular training and public participation.

4️⃣ Related Terms Explanation

🔎 Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety

• This is the basic law that defines the country's disaster response system.
  • This law establishes the disaster and safety management system of the state and local governments to protect people's lives and property from various disasters, and regulates disaster prevention, preparation, response, recovery, and safety culture activities. It was enacted in 2004 and has been revised several times.
  • Main content includes: First, matters concerning the establishment and operation of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and Regional Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. Second, the obligation to establish safety management plans for disaster prevention and preparation. Third, procedures for emergency rescue and disaster recovery when disasters occur. Fourth, regulations on the establishment and operation of disaster management funds.
  • The biggest problem with this law is that the control tower's authority and responsibility are not clearly distinguished, causing role confusion between the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Interior and Safety during large-scale disasters. Clarifying this through law revision is an urgent task.

🔎 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters

• This is the organization that oversees disaster response at the national level.
  • The headquarters is the control tower for national disaster response established in the Ministry of Interior and Safety when a large-scale disaster occurs or is likely to occur. It is a temporary organization that doesn't exist normally but is immediately activated when disasters occur.
  • The head of the headquarters is normally the Minister of Interior and Safety, but when the disaster is large or damage is expected to be widespread, the Prime Minister can serve as head. Under the head, ministers from each department and heads of related agencies participate to coordinate integrated response.
  • The headquarters' roles include comprehensive management of disaster situations, building cooperation systems between central administrative agencies and local governments, distributing and coordinating disaster response resources, and providing information to the public. However, in reality, it has weak authority to force cooperation from each department, and its leadership varies depending on who the head is.

🔎 Sewol Ferry Disaster

• The Sewol Ferry disaster was a tragic event that revealed structural problems in Korea's disaster response system.
  • On April 16, 2014, the passenger ship Sewol, traveling from Incheon to Jeju, sank in waters near Jindo County, South Jeolla Province, killing or leaving missing 304 passengers and crew members. The national shock was particularly great because 250 students from Danwon High School on a school trip were killed.
  • The Sewol Ferry disaster is evaluated not as a simple maritime accident but as an event that comprehensively revealed problems with Korea's safety insensitivity and disaster response system. First, the golden time was missed due to the absence of a control tower in the initial response. The Coast Guard, Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Ministry of Safety and Public Administration, and the Blue House each acted separately, delaying rescue work. Second, information sharing and cooperation between related agencies didn't happen. Third, accurate information wasn't provided to the public, increasing confusion and distrust.
  • After the disaster, the government established the Ministry of Public Safety and Security (now integrated into the Ministry of Interior and Safety) and strengthened disaster safety laws, but as seen in the Daejeon Center fire, the control tower problem still hasn't been resolved. Criticism continues that the lessons of the Sewol Ferry haven't been properly reflected.

🔎 Crisis Management Manual

• A crisis management manual is a guidebook that specifies detailed procedures and roles for disaster response.
  • A crisis management manual is a document that organizes step-by-step how the government and public agencies should respond when disasters or emergencies occur. It specifically states who should do what at each stage - prevention, preparation, response, and recovery - for each crisis type.
  • Types of manuals include: First, the crisis management standard manual that presents basic principles and directions at the national level. Second, the crisis response working manual that details lead agencies and working procedures by disaster type. Third, the on-site action manual that contains simple guidelines for immediate action in the field.
  • Currently, Korea's crisis management manuals lack consistency because each department and agency creates them individually, and mutual linkage doesn't work well. There are also many criticisms that they are created formally but have low utility in actual situations. Regular inspections and training are needed to increase effectiveness, and building an integrated manual is necessary.

5️⃣ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Why does the control tower problem repeat every disaster?

A: Because laws and systems are ambiguous, and there are power struggles between departments.

• The fundamental reason the disaster control tower problem repeats is that legal regulations are unclear, and each department tries to protect its own authority through selfishness. First, the disaster safety law says both the Minister of Interior and Safety and the Prime Minister can head the headquarters, but the criteria for who should do it when are unclear. Second, because lead departments differ by disaster type, the Ministry's overall coordination authority doesn't work properly. Third, each department thinks disaster response is also its own achievement and authority, focusing on fighting for leadership rather than cooperation.
• To solve this problem, the law must be revised to clearly unify the control tower, and a mechanism is needed to force other agencies to follow. Also, regular training and cooperation systems should be strengthened so they automatically work during actual disasters.

Q: How do other countries respond to disasters?

A: Most have clear systems where a single agency oversees everything.

• Most advanced countries have a single agency that oversees disaster response and a clear command system. First, the U.S. FEMA is an independent federal agency with strong authority and resources, and when the President declares a disaster, it immediately oversees all response. Each state and local government also moves according to FEMA's guidelines and support. Second, Japan has the Cabinet Office's Disaster Management Division at the center coordinating central and local response, operating efficiently with decades of accumulated experience and manuals. Third, the UK also has the Cabinet Office's Civil Contingencies Committee (COBR) that integrates management of all crisis situations.
• What these countries have in common is that disaster response organizations exist even in peacetime, it's clear who the control tower is when disasters occur, and a culture where other agencies follow this is established. Korea should also improve its system in this direction.

Q: What can ordinary citizens do to improve the disaster response system?

A: It's important to pay attention, monitor, and express political will.

• The disaster response system is created and operated by the government, but it's hard to improve without public attention and monitoring. First, carefully watch the government's response when disasters occur, and speak up through the media and SNS if there are problems. Public pressure becomes the driving force for system improvement. Second, file complaints with members of the National Assembly urging disaster response system improvement, or deliver opinions on related bills. Third, seriously consider disaster safety pledges when voting. Politicians should recognize this as an important election issue.
• Also, it's important to build disaster preparedness capacity at the individual level. Get first aid training, prepare emergency supplies at home, and know local evacuation facilities and procedures. A truly safe society is possible when individual preparedness and the government's systematic response are built together.

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