United Nations Public Service Awards Case Studies

Nearly 82 percent of the total area of Gangwon-do consists of forests. With deep valleys, many winding rivers and a 318km-long coastline, this province is geographically vulnerable to disasters. Furthermore, terrestrial rain and heavy snow often occur because of foehn wind effects that are caused by the East Sea and Taebaek Mountains.

Recently, natural disasters have become unpredictable, with greater damage due to global warming. Gangwon-do is no exception. The province experienced large-scale natural disasters such as Typhoon Rusa in 2002, Typhoon Maemi in 2003 and torrential rain in 2006.

Since 2000, the frequent natural disasters have caused 218 casualties and economic loss of KRW 5.3016 trillion (USD 4.418 billion) in Gangwon-do. To provide perspective, KRW 7.7932 trillion (USD 6.494 billion, 1.5 times greater than the damages) has been spent on recovery.

Disaster management has long been one of the major functions of government. However, recent diverse and large-scale disasters have been a serious threat to the lives and property of citizens. Furthermore, large-scale disaster recovery projects have been a great burden to local governments.

Therefore, it has been essential to establish a preventive, customized disaster response system instead of focusing on standardized and follow-up disaster management. To do this, Gangwon-do has promoted the development of a disaster response system based on Information & Communication Technology (ICT), which collects disaster-related information and immediately provides it to citizens. This system establishes a citizen-organization-government teamwork disaster prevention network.

What is the initiative about? (the solution)
Based on lessons learned from previous disasters, Gangwon-do has promoted the “Five-Year Gangwon Flood Disaster Prevention Plan” since 2004 to establish its own disaster response system. This plan focuses on a paradigm shift, from a scattered follow-up response to a prevention-centered response through scientific data and sharing system using ICT and the establishment of a citizen-participatory disaster response network. Under this plan, Gangwon-do has concentrated on the following three sectors: ① ICT-based scientific disaster response systems (ex: weather information monitoring, early disaster forecasting and warning, two-way communication center for data analysis and exchange between citizens, related organizations and provincial government, etc.) have been established instead of scattered emergency response-oriented disaster management. ② Gangwon-do has been focused on establishing a public-private-military partnership network, instead of the government-led disaster response system. The province has also been promoting a safety campaign. ③ Investment has focused on disaster prevention in consideration of local conditions and the environment instead of the follow-up recovery system. A permanent solution, which would fundamentally eliminate the cause of natural disasters, has been promoted, with KRW 7.2592 trillion (USD 6.0493 billion) in investments (1.5 times greater than the damage; KRW 5.0135 trillion, USD 4.1779 billion) for recovery from 2002 to 2006. Because of on-going disaster monitoring using units instead of the previous centralized and integrated system, it is possible to collect quickly and process information. Furthermore, the two-way communication system helps local citizens respond quickly to disasters and prevents damage by immediately informing people of emergencies. Meanwhile, because of clear communication between the government and private sector, public opinion has been reflected in local policies. As a result, responsibility, accountability and public trust in the disaster-prevention administration has improved. Since the specific disaster response system was launched in Gangwon-do in 2007, economic loss has dramatically decreased to KRW 56.9 billion (KRW 19 billion per year), less than 2 percent of the annual average loss (KRW 1.0027 trillion) from 2002 to 2006. It is important to note that no casualties have been reported since 2007.

Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
For preventive response to natural disasters, Gangwon-do established the Disaster Policy Officer in 2004. In addition, with help from academic and industry experts, various measuring units for disaster monitoring have been installed, and a disaster forecasting and warning system has been installed. Moreover, under the public-private-military partnership network, 24 military units and 330 organizations have signed an agreement to provide labor, medical and emergency supplies. For this, a bilateral communication network has been established with remote villages (480 village chiefs). In addition, a voluntary disaster prevention corps (6,000 volunteers) and wind and flood disaster monitoring corps (532 volunteers) have been organized across the province. An alternative emergency communication network has also been established with the Korean HAM Radio Association. The large-scale natural disasters from 2002 to 2006 have increased citizens’ consciousness regarding safety. Based on community awareness, military units, civil organizations and citizens have participated in the disaster-prevention network. As a result, all residents of Gangwon-do now receive the benefits of the specific disaster response system.

Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
a. What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
The purpose of the specific disaster response system is to protect the lives and property of citizens by providing reliable disaster-prevention services. For this, a total of 887 measuring units of eight types (ex: remote water level meter in major streams, snow measuring meter, tsunami warning system, a heaving sea forecasting and warning system, etc.) have been installed. The numeric and video information collected from these measuring units is available on the Disaster Control Center website (www.safety.go.kr). Moreover, the two-way communication system has been established to deliver disaster-related information quickly and effectively through a local automated forecasting and warning system. In additional, disaster-related information is delivered to the residents in a dangerous area through Cell Broadcasting Service (CBS) and Short Message Service (SMS). After establishing a participatory disaster-prevention network, related issues have been discussed through a Gangwon military-government council twice a year. Furthermore, systems are checked to be prepared against wind and flood disaster, and every April cooperation plan is reviewed involving the provincial government, military authorities and four civil organizations. A workshop hosted by the provincial government and private sector has been held annually. A program to enhance the disaster-prevention level of civil disaster prevention corps and related organizations has been established to improve disaster response. Further, training has been practiced for civil-military-government participation through diverse simulations, which has enhanced an organic cooperative system.

b. What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
The specific disaster response system of Gangwon-do has been developed and operated as follows: ① Development of the disaster response service system using ICT - 2004-2008: Remote mobile water level meters were installed at 98 locations using related technology, such as radio frequency identification (RFID), sensor and mobile communication network to monitor water levels and collect flood-related information. - 2004-2008: Snow measuring meters were installed at 26 locations along local roads. Various data, such as temperature, rainfall, wind direction, wind speed and snow cover, has been collected and provided in images. - 2006-2007: Given that the Korean Peninsula is no longer safe from a tsunami disaster, a tsunami warning system has been installed at 84 locations along the coastline, and related information has been collected. The emergency announcement will help local residents safely evacuate the area if an emergency happens. - Since 2009: A heaving sea forecasting and warning control system has been installed at 56 locations to prevent an accident from occurring around a port. - The Disaster Control Center website (www.safety.go.kr) was updated in 2008. Since then, the collected data, including video images, has been available on a real-time basis. In addition, local resident opinion has been incorporated for quick provision of disaster-related information and the promotion of a safety-oriented culture. ② Establishment of public-private-military partnership network - 2005-2007: A supply agreement was signed with 330 local suppliers, including Korea Construction Equipment Association, and a disaster prevention and recovery equipment (1,102 units) supply network has been established. - 2005-2007: An agreement for supply of military labor, medical and equipment supplies was signed with 24 military units. - 2007-2008: Residents’ voluntary organizations such as 480 remote village chiefs, voluntary disaster prevention corps (6,000 volunteers) and wind and flood disaster monitoring corps (532 volunteers) were organized.

c. What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
To continue making investments in the disaster prevention infrastructure and promote a safety campaign, it is essential to secure sufficient financial resources. In particular, approximately KRW 8.5 billion has been spent to establish the ICT-based disaster response service system. Gangwon-go has not been financially sufficient enough, however, to promote all these projects. Therefore, the provincial government has annually installed equipment and worked hard to secure financial resources. In particular, the “Ordinance of Gangwon-do Disaster Management Fund Raising and Operation,” which was designed to raise “Disaster Management Funds” with 1 percent of ordinary tax revenues, was enacted in 2004. Thirty percent of these funds raised up to KRW 4.8 billion (principal: KRW 4.2 billion, interest: KRW 600 million) every year is reserved for emergency disaster, while the remaining 70 percent is reserved for disaster prevention, campaigns and the development of forecasting and warning systems. As a result, the funds have made a major contribution to the expansion of a disaster prevention infrastructure and the promotion of a safety campaign. In fact, rapid urbanization and growth-oriented development policy have weakened community and safety awareness. To increase citizen-participatory community consciousness regarding disaster prevention and establish a safety culture in our daily life, the Gangwon-do government has promoted the ‘Build Disaster-Free Gangwon-do’ campaign, together with the Village Chief Association. Furthermore, opportunities for practical field education and training, such as visits to disaster areas and team spirit workshops involving local leaders, voluntary disaster prevention corps, administrative organizations and civil organizations, have increased. In addition, those who have shown outstanding performance in disaster prevention activities have been rewarded to make them feel honored as a volunteer.

d. What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
A total of KRW 8.5 billion has been spent to install measuring meters and early disaster forecasting and warning systems in accordance with the “Five-Year Gangwon Flood Disaster Prevention Plan” which was launched in 2004. The latest advanced IT technologies, such as RFID, sensor and broadband communication, have been applied to these units. Furthermore, programming software that delivers risk factors through a comprehensive analysis of meteorological and numerical information has also been applied to this equipment. Therefore, IT-based scientific disaster management has been possible. Moreover, a tidal wave control system and automated forecasting and warning system will be by 2010, with an additional KRW 50 million and KRW 360 million in investments. For thorough maintenance and management of the equipment and systems, the Disaster Control Center is operated 24 hours a day by 16 employees (3 operators during the day, 2 at night). The information is collected from each measuring meter in 887 locations delivered to local residents.

Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
The aggressive and preemptive investment in the ICT-based disaster forecasting and warning facilities and a safety culture campaign, developed and promoted in accordance with the “Five-Year Gangwon Flood Disaster Prevention Plan” started to pay off beginning in 2007. The information from each measuring unit installed across the province, meteorological data, past disaster information and GIS information will be comprehensively analyzed. Then, the second-stage project, created to obtain more accurate forecasting quickly, will be promoted. While the first-stage project focused on development of an ICT-based infrastructure, the second-stage project, scheduled to cover three years beginning in 2010, targets protection of lives, property, and natural resources by providing high-quality information through integrated management of the current infrastructure. Furthermore, voluntary participation has been promoted by establishing a cooperation network with citizens and civil organizations instead of a government-led response to disasters. The intention is to provide high-quality services that meet citizens’ needs through governance with the private sector. In particular, it appears that the safety culture campaign led by the private sector, will develop from disaster prevention to a social safety campaign, reducing social uncertainty. Recently, many Korean local authorities have visited Gangwon-do for benchmarking. In addition, a total of 23 engineers from 18 countries visited Gangwon-do during the first pilot program (Sept. 2009) of United Nation International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN ISDR), which proves the excellence of the disaster prevention system of Gangwon-do. Both the ICT-based scientific information collection and sharing system and the participatory disaster prevention network are effective preventive disaster response systems that could be implemented in any region around the world. Furthermore, they can establish an efficient disaster management system for relatively efficient cost.

What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
“The Specific Disaster Response System” with a new perspective, has played a major role in reducing disaster-caused damages in Gangwon-do by implementing a prevention-centered, disaster-response system. Considering recent large-scale natural disasters all over the world, such as severe droughts and damages from Hurricanes IKA and GUSTA in the U.S. in 2008 and the damage caused by Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan in 2009, the specific disaster response system of Gangwon-do can be very useful. The specific disaster response system of Gangwon-do has been successful because disaster-related information has been efficiently collected and circulated using ICT, which has in turn made it possible for local residents to quickly respond to disasters. Furthermore, because information has been efficiently shared through various events such as workshops, voluntary participation has been increased based on trust. If the efficiency of the system is enhanced by quickly applying the still-developing ICT factors to the existing systems, and members’ trust is improved through continuous education and communication, the damage caused by disasters could be dramatically reduced.


Institution Name:		Gangwon Province
Institution Type:		Government Agency
Contact Person:		Seong-hyeon Hwang
Title:		assistant officer
Telephone/ Fax:		82-33-249-2473
Institution's / Project's Website:		82-33-249-4013
E-mail:		hsh127@korea.kr
Address:		15 Bong-ui-dong
Postal Code:		200-700
City:		Chuncheon
State/Province:		Gangwon Province
Country:

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

Actors and Stakeholders

(a) Strategies

(b) Implementation

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

(d) Use of Resources

Sustainability and Transferability

Lessons Learned

Contact Information