President Park Geun-hye’s home affairs minister nominee said Friday that his ministry will focus on reinforcing regulations to protect children and women from harmful environments.

Laying out a safety policy under the new government, Yoo Jeong-bok said his ministry will reinforce various regulations to securely protect the socially disadvantaged such as children, women and the elderly.

The former agriculture minister, who was tapped last month by Park to head the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, awaits appointment to the Cabinet post. Rival parties already adopted a consenting report after a one-day confirmation hearing of Yoo.

“Safety is the most important government goal under the Park administration,” Yoo said in an interview.

Park said during her inauguration speech that protecting the lives and ensuring the safety of the people is a critical element of a happy nation.

“As a parent raising children myself, the biggest concern is that children in the country are exposed to all different kinds of harmful environments due to an overflow of information on the Internet,” Yoo said, adding that the ministry will strongly regulate problematic areas. (Yonhap News)