Seoul disaster workers could face dismissal for neglect of duty

By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL (Yonhap) - Stung by mounting criticism over civil servants' lack of preparedness against deadly floods and landslides last week, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday it will revise its disciplinary rules to punish and possibly dismiss officials that neglect their disaster prevention duties.
Under a revised code of conduct, if an employee's negligence is found to have caused such natural disasters as floods or landslides, they will have their pay cut or possibly receive harsher punishment, including dismissal in the worst case scenario.
Those who ignore other employees' wrongdoing, refuse state auditors' inspection, or leak key government documents will also face disciplinary action by the city government under the new rule, officials said.
The move comes after a group of Seoul citizens announced they are preparing a class-action lawsuit against city authorities for failing to take precautionary measures to prevent a fatal landslide that hit a residential area in southern Seoul, killing dozens of people and leaving thousands homeless.
The forest authority claimed that it had warned disaster prevention employees of possible landslides at Mount Umyeon in advance, but the city government said the messages were not successfully delivered to the correct officials.
"In light of this flood, we have felt the need to make officials pay closer attention to managing disaster facilities," a city official said.