[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that due to the forecast of heavy rain nationwide until the 24th, it will activate Level 1 of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for heavy rain response starting from 11 a.m. on the 23rd.
In particular, the ministry raised the crisis alert level from 'Interest' to 'Caution' as heavy rain exceeding 30mm per hour is expected mainly in Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon, Seoul, and Incheon regions from the afternoon of the 23rd.
On the morning of the same day, President Yoon Suk-yeol requested a prior inspection of landslide-prone areas vulnerable to damage from heavy rain, rivers, coastal lowlands, and campsites, as concentrated heavy rain is expected during nighttime and early morning hours when immediate response is difficult. He emphasized the need for prompt safety measures in vulnerable areas and facilities, such as maintaining road drainage and removing sediment from small streams, and urged residents in high-risk areas like landslide-prone zones to evacuate urgently during heavy rain.
Furthermore, President Yoon instructed to strengthen public awareness campaigns to ensure thorough preparation by the public for this year’s first monsoon rain, and to quickly disseminate weather information and public action guidelines to prevent any damage to citizens from the ongoing monsoon rains.
In response, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety explained, "We have instructed local governments to immediately implement emergency duty and established communication channels for each city and province to enable rapid situation transmission and information sharing," adding, "We have also conducted prior safety inspections of vulnerable areas such as rivers, coastal lowlands, campsites, and camping sites, and implemented preemptive safety measures such as installing waterproof sheets at restoration sites due to increased landslide risks in wildfire-affected areas."
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