Advance Payment of Relief Funds and Funeral Expenses... Consideration of Support for Bereaved Families' Living Expenses
Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province has decided to request the government to declare the Jeongok-ri battery factory fire a 'special disaster area' to respond to the damage.
On the 25th, Hwaseong City announced that it held a disaster safety countermeasure meeting chaired by Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun to manage the Jeongok-ri factory fire accident and made this decision.
On the 25th, participants are discussing measures to handle the fire at the Jeongok-ri battery factory during the Hwaseong City Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Meeting chaired by Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun. [Photo by Hwaseong City]
Earlier, to manage the accident, the city established and began operating a 'Damage Integrated Support Center' in the large conference room on the 5th floor of City Hall from the afternoon of the previous day. The center consists of a situation control team composed of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Embassy of China in Korea, and Hwaseong City, and an integrated support team made up of nine organizations including Gyeonggi Province, fire station, police station, and Immigration Office, which will support the bereaved families and accident management until the situation is resolved.
The city also set up a victim family support room (bereaved family waiting room) inside City Hall for the bereaved families. The city explained that this measure was taken considering that a significant number of the victims are foreigners, which requires time for identification.
The city particularly views that a nationwide response is necessary for foreigner identification and transportation measures for bereaved families, and thus plans to request the government to declare a special disaster area. Additionally, it will consider providing advance relief funds and funeral expenses for the deceased and support for the bereaved families' living expenses.
Regarding funeral support, a person in charge will be assigned for each deceased individual. For those whose identities are confirmed, interviews with the bereaved families will be conducted to understand their needs, and a one-on-one monitoring system will be maintained until the funeral, including interpretation and funeral support.
Mayor Jeong said at the meeting, "In addition to the support measures stipulated in the regulations, it is necessary to actively discover additional support measures," and added, "I hope the disaster safety countermeasure headquarters will share progress by team and respond organically."
Meanwhile, the city is implementing secondary damage prevention measures such as identifying the status of air pollutants around the fire site and blocking pollutants from entering waterways, and plans to strengthen inspections of battery manufacturers in the area to prevent similar accidents.
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