Korea is working to launch a committee that will deal exclusively with disasters and accidents caused by disasters, such as the radiation leak from a nuclear power plant in Japan, a government official said Saturday.

The committee will be set up within the National Science and Technology Commission that governs policies on high-tech industries and investment, Lee Seok-rae, a commission official, said.

The plan comes amid heightened woes over natural disasters in the wake of an earthquake that hit Japan and foot-and-mouth disease that swept South Korea earlier this year.

“Exactly how the committee will look in its form and who will be on its panel are things to be discussed further,” Lee said, adding that the plan has been reported to President Lee Myung-bak. 

(Yonhap News)