New fire protection association chief vows shift from response to prevention

Kim Ki-hwan, the newly appointed chairman of the Korean Fire Protection Association, pledged to shift the organization's focus from post-accident response to proactive risk management and prevention. Speaking at his inauguration ceremony on Monday, Kim said the association should evolve into a comprehensive disaster risk management institution capable of identifying risks before accidents occur. "Our mission is to identify risks before they materialize, prevent accidents and help build a safer society," Kim said. "Over the past 53 years, the association has helped shape Korea's history of risk management and disaster prevention," he said. "The expertise, experience and data we have accumulated over these decades are valuable assets that only few organizations can match." Kim pointed to growing challenges posed by climate-related disasters, electric vehicles, energy storage systems and data centers, saying rapid technological change is creating new demands for risk management. "Change is not a choice but a reality. However, this is not a crisis, but an opportunity for us to leap forward." T