President Lee: "We must build a system that can actually operate" ... chairs Central Integrated Defense Council for first time

According to The Financial News, President Lee Jae-myung of South Korea presided over the 59th meeting of the Central Integrated Defense Council on the 23rd and reviewed response plans for human and material damage in the event of large-scale explosions at gas and oil refining facilities in a contingency. Addressing the participants, President Lee said, "The lives of our people depend on the state of preparedness of these facilities," and urged, "We must establish systems and postures that can actually operate in today’s security environment."
According to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, President Lee stressed at the meeting held in the Yeongbingwan State Guest House at Cheong Wa Dae on that afternoon the need to establish an all-out security posture to protect the lives and property of the people from multifaceted security threats. About 170 people attended, including the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, cabinet members, the Chairperson of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, the Director of the National Intelligence Service, heads of metropolitan governments, and key commanders and officials from the military, police, coast guard and fire services.
During the meeting, the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff (ROK JCS), the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) respectively reported on "assessment and future direction of the integrated defense posture," "assessment and future direction of civil defense readiness," and "this year’s outlook on the situation in North Korea." This was followed by discussions on "response plans in the event of human and material damage caused by large-scale explosions at gas and oil refining facilities in a contingency," with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea, Ulsan Metropolitan City and other relevant agencies presenting their views.
In his opening remarks, President Lee emphasized the importance of the integrated defense system, saying, "We are in a situation where we must respond urgently not only to military threats but also to non-military threats such as cyberattacks, terrorism, the climate crisis and disasters." He added, "Only when all elements of defense — civilians, government, military, police and fire services — can respond in perfect unison like a single body in a contingency can we protect the nation and its people."
President Lee particularly stressed, "No matter what situation we face, we must be able to defend ourselves without relying on anyone else," and stated, "'Self-reliant defense' is the most important core of integrated defense."
Before the meeting, President Lee presented presidential citations to South Jeolla Province, the 36th Homeland Defense Infantry Division, the 6th Marine Brigade, the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters, and the Korea Gas Corporation Jeju LNG Headquarters for their outstanding performance in strengthening the integrated defense posture last year.
west@fnnews.com Reporter Seong Seok-woo Reporter