Kim Jong-cheol (김종철), chairman of the Broadcast Media and Communications Commission, visited the Daejeon and Sejong area on Feb. 4 to check preparedness for disasters such as strong winds and wildfires and to hear views from the field.

On the morning of the visit, Kim went to the commission’s Daejeon branch office and urged it to “actively expand contact points with local operators and process work fairly in accordance with law and principles.”

In the afternoon, he visited the KBS Gyeryongsan transmission station in Daejeon and checked safety conditions for emergency response systems, transmission equipment and access roads to prevent disasters during the thaw season. He focused in particular on the management of uninterruptible power supply units and power supply facilities so they can respond immediately in the event of a fire. The Gyeryongsan transmission station is an important facility that supports HD and UHD TV, radio and DMB broadcasting in parts of Daejeon, Sejong and Gongju.

He then visited the Sejong Viewer Media Center and observed content production training for elementary school students and firefighters. “Strengthening media capabilities is an active responsibility of the state to realize democracy and guarantee the basic rights of the people,” Kim said. He asked the center to “go beyond simple technical training, discover topics needed by local residents and take the lead in fostering mature democratic citizens.”

Since opening in 2020, the Sejong Viewer Media Center has supported efforts to improve local residents’ ability to use media, and about 200,000 people used the center over the past three years.