"Declaration of Special Disaster Area for Affected Regions as Soon as Possible"
President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 18th, "We will declare the affected areas as special disaster zones as soon as possible and mobilize all available government resources, including contingency funds." He emphasized that all subsidies allocated to corrupt and illicit interest cartels should be completely abolished and redirected to support the citizens affected by the disaster.
President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the Cabinet meeting held on the 18th at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul. Photo by Presidential Office Press Photographers Group [Image source=Yonhap News]
In his opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office that morning, President Yoon said, "The government must mobilize all available resources to swiftly carry out rescue and recovery operations and support for the victims." The meeting was broadcast live on TV. Wearing a green civil defense uniform, President Yoon raised his voice notably when mentioning the complete abolition of subsidies.
The declaration of a special disaster zone is made by the president upon the recommendation of the head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, following damage assessments by local governments and the central government and deliberation by the Central Safety Management Committee (chaired by the Prime Minister). An emergency investigation team was dispatched on the 16th to five locations including Gyeongbuk, Chungbuk, Chungnam, Jeonbuk, and Sejong to conduct assessments. If no further heavy rain occurs, the damage assessment is expected to conclude that day. Therefore, President Yoon is anticipated to declare the special disaster zones soon.
He particularly stressed that subsidies to interest cartels should be used to compensate for the flood damage. President Yoon stated, "The people's tax money must be actively used to wipe away the tears caused by disasters," and raised his voice, saying, "All subsidies to interest cartels and corrupt cartels must be abolished, and those funds should be invested in flood recovery and damage compensation." The interest cartels pointed out by President Yoon are believed to include not only private organizations exposed for corruption and illegality last month but also businesses related to solar power projects.
President Yoon also recounted his visit to the landslide damage site in Gamcheon-myeon, Yecheon-gun, Gyeongbuk, immediately after returning from his tour of Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine the previous morning, and called for improvements in the disaster management system. He urged, "We must establish a digital monitoring system that can operate systematically even under normal circumstances," and added, "The central and local governments must collaborate on a government-wide level, and experts should participate."
He criticized the disaster response methods of public officials and ordered structural reforms. "We cannot respond to unprecedented abnormal weather with the methods used so far. We must not respond that way," he said, emphasizing the need to discard the perception that "natural disasters are unavoidable." He repeatedly stressed the need for public officials to change their mindset. In particular, President Yoon insisted, "All related ministries and local governments must not let their guard down even for a moment until the rainy season is completely over," and "They must keep in mind that the first priority is the safety of the people, and the second priority is also the safety of the people." He continued, "Heads of local governments, police, fire departments, and the Korea Forest Service must mobilize all human resources from every department of their agencies," and pointed out, "This is an emergency situation where the safety of the people is at stake. The military is also being mobilized, isn't it?" Earlier, in the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting he presided over the previous day, President Yoon criticized that the casualties caused by the recent heavy rain were due to "poor management of dangerous areas" and "insufficient preemptive evacuation measures."
Earlier, the Office of Public Service Management launched an investigation into the fatal accident at the Osong Gungpyeong 2 Underpass in Chungbuk immediately after President Yoon criticized the response to the heavy rain. They plan to review safety measures taken by local governments, police, and fire departments. Administrative records related to the temporary embankment construction on the Miho River are also under investigation. The focus will be on clarifying why traffic control was not implemented in a timely manner despite prior 112 emergency calls requesting it.
The government had previously confirmed that on the day of the accident (15th) at 7:02 a.m. and 7:58 a.m.?nearly 1 to 2 hours before the accident time (8:40 a.m.)?there were 112 emergency calls requesting "urgent evacuation of Osong-eup residents" and "urgent control of Gungpyeong Underpass," respectively. However, no measures were taken regarding the Gungpyeong Underpass, and the police who responded to the calls were found, according to the investigation, to have gone to unrelated locations such as near Gungpyeong 1 Underpass close to the city center.
A National Assembly Inspection Office official stated, "We will promptly and transparently inform the public of the results and take all necessary actions including disciplinary measures, prosecution, investigation requests, and system improvements." If concrete evidence is found that related public officials neglected road and embankment management, they are expected to be charged with professional negligence resulting in death or injury.
Meanwhile, President Yoon also explained the reason for his unannounced visit to Ukraine during his recent tour. This is interpreted as a response to criticism from opposition parties that he visited Ukraine without returning home despite flood damage in Korea. Referring to the United Nations forces dispatched during the Korean War who fought alongside Korea, President Yoon appealed for support, saying, "Our people, who deeply understand how precious and grateful the helping hand extended by the international community was during our most difficult times, will believe that we must willingly visit places in need and contribute responsibly."
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