수중레저 안전관리 체계 이관에 따른 해양경찰청 조직 및 인력 개편 연구 = A Study on the Reorganization of the Korea Coast Guard’s Structure and Personnel Following the transfer of underwater Leisure Safety Management Responsibilities

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

With the recent growth of the marine leisure industry, public interest and participation in underwater leisure activities have significantly increased. However, such activities are inherently high-risk, necessitating a systematic safety management framework. In response, the revision of the Act on the Safety, Promotion, Etc, of Underwater Leisure Activities has transferred the responsibility for underwater leisure safety management from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to the Korea Coast Guard. As a result, the Korea Coast Guard will assume a central role in policy formulation, on-site safety management, and accident response.
This study aims to analyze the nature and scope of the transferred underwater leisure safety management tasks and to propose a comprehensive reform plan for the organizational structure and personnel deployment of the Korea Coast Guard. To this end, the major provisions of the Act on the Safety, Promotion, Etc, of Underwater Leisure Activities were reviewed, and key duties to be performed by the Coast Guard’s headquarters, regional offices, and local stations were identified. At the same time, the study examined problems within the existing underwater safety management system and explored directions for improvement. Furthermore, it sought to design an organizational framework and staffing model capable of effectively supporting the future safety management responsibilities to be led by the Coast Guard. Given the lack of sufficient statistical data on underwater leisure-related accidents, the study referred to the standards set out in the Rules on the Organization and Staffing of Administrative Agencies and the Guidelines for Government Organization Management. Nevertheless, it goes beyond a conventional demand-based approach by presenting a newly developed quantitative analysis model centered on field-level risk and response complexity— highlighting the significance and originality of this research.
In particular, this study developed a risk assessment model(Risk = Probability × Impact) to quantify the risk levels of underwater leisure activities by region. Using this model, regional risk index were calculated to estimate personnel needs and propose corresponding organizational deployment strategies. The analysis revealed that underwater leisure activities are especially concentrated in the Jeju and East Sea regions, where more strategic staffing is required. Furthermore, the study emphasizes that differentiated personnel deployment based on actual risk and local demand, rather than uniform distribution is more effective in ensuring safety management.
Ultimately, this research serves as a practical policy resource aligned with the government’s direction to enhance policy execution and field response capacity in response to the diversification of marine leisure and the popularization of underwater activities. It is expected to contribute to securing public safety and establishing an institutional foundation for the sustainable development of the underwater leisure industry.