The government examined comprehensive reforms of the nation’s safety system on Wednesday ahead of the first anniversary of the deadly Itaewon crowd crush that claimed 159 lives.

Presiding a safety prevention and management meeting, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stressed constant checkups and supplementation to ensure that crowd control and security measures and related policies will properly work in case of actual incidents.

The prime minister said that it is the responsibility of the central government and local municipalities to predict and prepare for disasters, avoid repeating the same mistakes, and properly improve the national safety system, calling on all related organizations to make every effort to guarantee safety.

Han also instructed local governments to tailor their disaster safety systems to the characteristics of each region and intensify efforts to prepare for any risks, asking local officials to personally visit large-scale events, festivals and disaster-prone areas to check on safety and closely cooperate with relevant organizations.

At the meeting, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety reported on the progress of fundamental reforms of the national safety system, including measures to prevent the recurrence of crowd crush accidents, while the National Fire Agency reported on the progress of efforts to strengthen disaster response capabilities.