Disaster Victim Support in One Place... Government to Operate "Central Joint Support Center"

Integrated Provision of Survivor Benefits and Medical Compensation
Participation by Ministries, Local Governments, and Financial Institutions
Systematic Implementation of Recovery Status Survey

In the event of a large-scale disaster in the future, victims and their bereaved families will be able to receive all services—including compensation and psychological support—at a single location, the "Central Joint Disaster Victims Support Center."

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that an amended version of the "Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Disaster and Safety Management," which strengthens the disaster victim support system, was approved by the Cabinet on July 14, 2026, and will take effect starting July 22.

This amendment serves as a follow-up measure to the law promulgated in January and includes specific details to enable rapid relief and support for victims’ return to daily life. The core of the amendment is to specify the composition and scope of work for the "Central Joint Disaster Victims Support Center," allowing victims and their families to receive all necessary support in one place.

The Support Center will involve relevant ministries and local governments, as well as organizations related to recovery, finance, and insurance, including electricity, telecommunications, and city gas providers, the National Health Insurance Service, the National Pension Service, and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business. The Support Center plans to integrate and provide, in a unified way, support services that were previously scattered across several agencies—such as survivor benefits, funeral expenses, medical treatment compensation, psychological treatment guidance, and tax support—ensuring fast and efficient assistance.

The amendment also details the "Disaster Victim Recovery Status Survey," which is designed to systematically assess the recovery progress of victims after a disaster. The survey will be conducted annually by the Disaster Recovery Research Center at the National Institute for Disaster and Safety, targeting victims of large-scale disasters through onsite investigations, interviews, and telephone surveys. These surveys will examine victims’ physical and mental health conditions, economic circumstances such as housing and livelihood, and their satisfaction with and perception of support systems.

The Ministry plans to utilize the survey findings to improve disaster victim policies, including psychological recovery support, stabilization of daily life, and the provision of physical and human resources.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.