Flood-Damaged Gurye-gun 5-Day Market, Truly 'Devastating'

The stench so strong it clings to the body... Nothing usable as everything is soaked

Volunteers, perhaps feeling sorry, show no sign of hardship

President Moon Jae-in and Assemblyman Lee Nak-yeon hold hands on site, encouraging merchants

On the 12th, a female student is wiping items damaged by flooding at the 5-day market in Bongdong-ri, Gurye-eup, Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Seolgi Sung] “I lived my life working hard, but now I don’t know what to do going forward.”

At around 9:30 a.m. on the 12th, at the 5-day Market in Bongdong-ri, Gurye-eup, Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do.

This place suffered flood damage from heavy rain with a maximum hourly rainfall of 45.2 mm on the 7th and 8th.

Even after several days, the scene was utter chaos.

There was not a single intact item to be found, and the stench, unlike anything ever smelled before, filled the air due to fish and trash covering the area.

Nam Gongsun (74, female), who has operated ‘Gurye Susan’ here for well over half a century, wiped tears from her eyes.

Nam’s memory was as follows: Around 9 a.m. on the 8th, she and other merchants here were busy preparing for the market day.

The merchants’ association broadcasted a warning to evacuate, and within less than 10 minutes, water rose to waist level, turning all the fish stored in freezers for the market day into useless trash.

Nam said, “I have lived here for over 50 years since marrying into this place, but I have never seen such a devastating sight. From the day after the heavy rain until now, we have been cleaning up and sorting through what can be used, but there is nothing usable.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Nam wiped tears repeatedly with her wrinkled hands and, together with her two sons, daughters-in-law, and daughters, cleaned up the trash that had flooded in and scrubbed the dirt off the store floor with water and a broom.

Traces of flooding from the heavy rain were evident throughout the market. Shops showed water damage up to the ceiling, and items pulled out from inside the stores were piled like mountains and being moved by cranes.

At the site of the damage recovery, merchants and volunteers gathered from various places worked together.

At around 11 a.m., we met Kim Ansun (59) from the Gwangju-Jeonnam branch of the Korean Red Cross, who had come from Hampyeong-gun, Jeollanam-do.

Kim said, “I understand that about 80 people came from the Korean Red Cross Gwangju-Jeonnam branch. Eight people from Hampyeong-gun came here to help. We were helping with recovery work in Hampyeong, but since the damage in Gurye seems worse, we came here.”

Despite the sweltering heat, Kim and the volunteers wiped off the mud-covered items submerged in water, sweating profusely, but perhaps out of a sense of guilt, no one showed any sign of hardship.

President Moon Jae-in is comforting a merchant by holding hands during his visit to the 5-day market in Bongdong-ri, Gurye-eup, Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do on the 12th.

At around 1:30 p.m. that day, President Moon Jae-in and Assemblyman Lee Nak-yeon also visited the site, toured the area, and encouraged the affected merchants.

Assemblyman Lee said, “Even if it is declared a special disaster area, the criteria for providing recovery support funds were measured a long time ago and do not fit the current reality. Therefore, we are reviewing ways to provide a bit more help than the previous standards. The scale of the damage is so large that it is expected to be insufficient, but we are continuously looking for other methods.”

He added, “Recovery support funds will be provided, and additional declarations of special disaster areas will be made. It won’t take long. Many volunteers have come together with their hearts, so I hope the disaster victims do not lose courage and overcome this. The central government will continue to pay attention and provide support.”

Meanwhile, according to Gurye-gun, the damage scale currently tallied includes over 1,200 flooded houses. This number is steadily increasing, and as of the 11th, the damage amount reaches 128 billion won.