[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 23rd, Kim Bu-gyeom, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "Disaster recovery is essentially about stabilizing public sentiment."
On the same day, Kim posted on his Facebook under the title "Overcoming Fear," stating, "The government has raised the crisis alert level from 'Warning' to the highest level, 'Severe.' Additionally, Daegu and Cheongdo have been designated as 'Special Management Areas.' The Democratic Party leadership has also officially requested the government to prepare a supplementary budget (추경, additional budget)."
He added, "On the afternoon of the 24th, I am scheduled to conduct a government inquiry at the National Assembly. So far, I think I have done this about a dozen times during my legislative activities. However, I have never felt as desperate as this time. These are breathless days."
He continued, "During the winters of 2017 and 2018, as the administrative safety officer, I experienced three consecutive disasters: the fires in Jecheon and Miryang, and the Pohang earthquake. When I visited the disaster sites, there was one thing a minister had to do," he said, "which was to quickly reassure the people affected by the disaster."
Kim said, "When a disaster strikes, everyone naturally becomes fearful. At such times, when someone with responsibility and authority appears on-site, takes control, and establishes a system, people begin to feel reassured immediately."
He added, "While the coronavirus itself is a virus, what is even more unsettling is that we cannot fully understand how the situation escalated so much inside and outside a particular religious group. It seems this is a more significant cause of anxiety," and said, "I hope the authorities quickly grasp this social psychology and establish countermeasures."
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