President Yoon: "The government will do its best to protect the lives of the people"
[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President Yoon Suk-yeol paid tribute to those who helped their neighbors during the heavy rains in August and Typhoon 'Hinnamnor' in September, calling them "true heroes."
On the 14th, at a luncheon held at the Yongsan Presidential Office to honor those who contributed to the response efforts for the heavy rains and typhoon, President Yoon said, "I sincerely offer my condolences to everyone affected by the heavy rains and Hinnamnor last summer," and "You who did not ignore your neighbors' difficulties and reached out first are true heroes," according to a briefing by Deputy Spokesperson Lee Jae-myung of the Presidential Office.
He added, "I salute your courage in willingly dedicating yourselves without turning away from the hardships faced by your neighbors, and the government will also do its best to protect the lives of the people."
Seventeen people were invited to the luncheon, including Park Byung-il and Yoo In-cheon, who broke windows to enter a semi-basement villa in Sillim-dong during the heavy rains and rescued five residents; Bae Pil-soon, who conducted evacuation and protection activities when a landslide covered an apartment; Police Lieutenant Min Soo and Sergeant Kim Jin-hee, who rescued a trapped elderly couple in their 90s in Daerim 2-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu; Lieutenant Colonel Lee Sang-seok and Staff Sergeant Kim Deung-yong, who used armored vehicles and rubber boats to rescue 27 residents in the Cheongnim-dong area of Nam-gu, Pohang City; and Yang Nam-ho, who installed disaster safety lines along the coast and carried out restoration activities such as responding to flooded roads and blocked drainage.
Mr. Pyo said that thinking of his mother, who was about the same age as the woman he rescued, made him focus only on rescuing her quickly, and he hoped that small acts of kindness would accumulate to create a warm Korea.
After the luncheon, President Yoon personally showed them the second-floor office, conference room, and reception room.
Deputy Spokesperson Lee explained the response progress after Hinnamnor, saying, "Emergency repairs to damaged facilities and areas have mostly been completed," and "Preventive measures are being implemented step-by-step to avoid the same damage from occurring again. We are preparing improvement plans from the ground up."
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