The government will operate an early warning system(EWS) for some four-thousand items that are import-dependent, in the wake of the recent supply shortage of urea water solution.

At an inaugural meeting of a pan-government task force on Friday, First Vice Finance Minister Lee Eog-won said the recent urea shortage reminded the nation about risks linked to excessive dependence on imports from a specific country.

The EWS was launched for around four-thousand items with overseas dependency of over 50 percent or that require monitoring. Of those, up to 200 were classified as key economic and security-related items subject to a customized supply plan.

Through diplomatic missions in countries under monitoring, the foreign ministry will get regular reports on those countries' policy changes, trade rows and industrial trends.

The government will expand reserves of key items and domestic production lines, while diversifying import origins.