ULSAN — Korea Zinc's Onsan smelter is shifting the focus of its community programs from post-disaster recovery to building systems for advance preparedness and rapid response. The plan is to expand mobile on-site support infrastructure, securing the critical early window after a disaster strikes and reinforcing the safety net for residents.
The Onsan smelter said on the 3rd that it had delivered 230 million won to the Ulsan Metropolitan Government for a program to build a preemptive disaster response system. Attending the handover ceremony held last month were Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-wook, Park Sung-woong, head of management support at Korea Zinc's Onsan smelter, Jeon Young-do, chairman of the Community Chest of Korea's Ulsan branch, and Kim Jong-gil, chairman of the Ulsan Volunteer Center.
The funds will be passed on to the Ulsan Volunteer Center and volunteer centers in the city's five districts and counties, and will be used entirely to build mobile infrastructure that can be deployed to sites immediately.
The most notable item is the purchase of eco-friendly electric vans equipped with vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability, which allows the vehicle to supply power to external devices. The vans will not only transport personnel and relief goods to disaster sites quickly but also serve as mobile power hubs that can immediately supply emergency electricity in areas hit by outages. Essential on-site equipment will also be stockpiled in advance, including emergency food and drinking water for displaced residents, folding tents for temporary shelter and high-capacity power banks.
The added vehicles and equipment will improve early response capacity in a disaster while also being used in normal times for care programs for vulnerable groups and local volunteer work run by the district and county volunteer centers, raising their day-to-day utilization.
The Onsan smelter said it would continue to expand preemptive community programs that tighten the local safety net against climate disasters that are difficult to predict.
"Because it is hard to predict when a disaster will strike, thorough preparation in normal times is as essential as recovery afterward," Park said. "I hope this mobile infrastructure becomes a practical safeguard that quickly delivers the help displaced residents and on-site volunteers need when a disaster occurs, and that reduces damage."
The Onsan smelter previously delivered recovery donations and relief supplies during wildfires and torrential rains last year. It has continued such giving to help the region through crises, including an emergency supply of 40,000 bottles of drinking water during a large-scale water outage in Ulju County, where the smelter is located.
