S. Korea, Japan sign agreement to boost cooperation in disaster control

SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s safety minister on Monday signed an agreement with his Japanese counterpart to beef up cooperation in disaster control, the government said.

Safety Minister Park In-yong and Japanese Minister for Disaster Management Jun Matsumoto signed the work cooperation agreement during a meeting in Tokyo, South Korea’s Ministry of Public Safety and Security said in a release. This marks the first such event between the countries’ chiefs in charge of disaster control.

Under the deal, the two countries agreed to actively exchange personnel and other information on the safety industry, according to the ministry.

“I am well aware of people’s anxiety over the latest earthquake that struck Gyeongju,” Minister Park said. “This establishment of a cooperation system with Japan, which has much experience in earthquakes, will be the first step in making South Korea a safer country.”

A record-breaking earthquake struck a southern region near Gyeongju, some 371 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in September. South Korea’s meteorological agency said the magnitude 5.8 quake was strong enough to be felt throughout most parts of the country.

In this photo provided by the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, Minister Park In-yong (R) poses for a photo with his Japanese counterpart Jun Matsumoto in Tokyo on Dec. 12, 2016, after signing an agreement to boost cooperation in disaster control.