President Yoon Visits Sillim-dong Flood Site After Tragic Incident Involving Family with Developmental Disabilities

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the site of a flooding death accident involving a family with developmental disabilities living in a semi-basement house on the 9th. President Yoon received a report on the situation at the time of the accident and discussed the causes and countermeasures.

On the same day, President Yoon presided over an 'Emergency Inspection Meeting on Heavy Rain Response' and a Cabinet meeting consecutively at the Government Seoul Office before moving to the flood damage site in Sillim-dong, Seoul. It is known that the accident occurred due to flooding of the house caused by heavy rain last night, where a woman in her 40s with disabilities, her younger sister A, and A's daughter were found dead early this morning.

At the site, President Yoon inspected the surrounding area with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and talked with residents about the scale of the damage.

Earlier, from 9:30 a.m. on the same day, President Yoon chaired an emergency countermeasure meeting at the Disaster and Safety Situation Room of the Government Seoul Office, ordering damage countermeasures and mid- to long-term improvement plans for the record-breaking heavy rain mainly in the southern metropolitan area. President Yoon stated, "This heavy rain is judged to be caused by abnormal weather due to climate change, such as the hourly rainfall breaking the highest record in the history of meteorological observation in our country," and emphasized, "The government must reconsider the current disaster management system from scratch, considering that abnormal weather is becoming commonplace."

He directly mentioned landslide-prone areas and low-lying flood-prone areas, saying, "Conduct preemptive control in such areas and promptly inform residents of road control information according to emergency situations to minimize confusion and inconvenience." In addition, President Yoon conveyed, "As soon as the heavy rain situation settles, accurately investigate the damaged areas and request swift restoration and support."

President Yoon's visit to the Disaster and Safety Situation Room was not originally planned but was urgently decided due to the continued record-breaking heavy rain. After receiving a report on the heavy rain situation from Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min the previous day, President Yoon urgently instructed to devise countermeasures. Local governments, the Korea Forest Service, the National Fire Agency, and other related agencies were ordered to thoroughly manage the heavy rain situation centered on the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and to devise measures such as evacuating residents to prevent casualties. He also requested the adjustment of working hours for administrative and public institutions and encouraged private institutions and organizations to adjust their working hours as well.