Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk, Says "90% of Landslides Occur Outside Vulnerable Areas"... Defines as 'New Type of Disaster'

Mentioned in President-led Video Conference
“Joint Investigation by Central and Local Governments Needed”

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, attended the "Heavy Rain Response Inspection Meeting" chaired by the President on the morning of the 17th and emphasized that the recent incident in the northern region of Gyeongbuk, which caused casualties, should be defined not as a simple landslide but as a soil disaster caused by continuous and record-breaking heavy rain, urging the prompt establishment of new disaster response measures.

On this day, Governor Lee stated, "This time, the region suffered the most casualties due to record-breaking heavy rain. This is an unprecedented disaster that the region has never experienced before."

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, is speaking at a video conference chaired by the President to review measures against heavy rain.

Governor Lee also said, "Only one out of the 4,958 landslide-prone areas managed by the province experienced an incident. Nine out of ten occurred outside the managed areas," adding, "Since flood damage occurred in villages that have existed for hundreds of years, it is time to reconsider disaster management methods in response to abnormal weather phenomena at both central and local government levels."

He continued, "Since the 25th of last month, nearly 900mm of rain has fallen in the northern region of Gyeongbuk. This amount is more than three times the average cumulative rainfall (292.2mm) during the monsoon season in Daegu and Gyeongbuk over the past 50 years since 1973," he emphasized.

He also said, "As unprecedented disasters have occurred due to short-term record-breaking heavy rain and continuous rainfall far exceeding the average, it is time to conduct joint research and investigations with the central government and seek new countermeasures," adding, "The central government is considering proactively declaring a special disaster area, so the region will make every effort to prepare for future heavy rain and recover from damages."

Gyeongbuk Province issued an administrative order for preventive evacuation of residents on the 15th and mobilized 945 personnel including public officials, police, and volunteer firefighters, along with 7,095 village chiefs and community leaders from cities and counties, evacuating 3,073 people on the 15th and 2,622 people on the 16th on an emergency basis.