Damage Scale by Local Governments in Southern Gyeonggi Declared as Special Disaster Areas

Hwaseong reaches 237.9 billion won... Anseong also over 180 billion won
Local governments "Welcome government measures... Focusing efforts on recovery"

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, acting on behalf of the President, declared 7 cities/counties and 4 towns/villages as special disaster zones on the 18th, following severe damage caused by heavy snow, strong winds, and high waves at the end of last month. This declaration is expected to accelerate the recovery efforts, which had been hindered by budget shortages in individual local governments.

The areas declared as special disaster zones on this day include 7 cities/counties: Pyeongtaek, Yongin, Icheon, Anseong, Hwaseong, Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province, and Eumseong County in Chungbuk Province; and 4 towns/villages: Anheung and Dunnae in Hoengseong County, Gangwon Province, and Seonghwan-eup and Ipjang-myeon in Cheonan City, Chungnam Province, totaling 11 locations. Notably, the southern Gyeonggi region suffered the most damage due to the heavy snow from the 26th to the 28th of last month.

A mushroom cultivation facility in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, collapsed due to heavy snowfall at the end of last month. On the 18th, the government declared seven cities and counties, including Yongin, and four towns and townships as special disaster areas. Photo by Yongin-si

In Hwaseong City, as of the 13th, the reported damage amount registered in the National Disaster Management System (NDMS) due to heavy snow reached 60 million KRW for public facilities and 237.952 billion KRW for private facilities. The damage amounts by sector were ▲agriculture 36.3 billion KRW ▲livestock 36.6 billion KRW ▲businesses 164.4 billion KRW.

Anseong City also reported damage nearing 200 billion KRW as of the same date. According to the city, the NDMS reported damage included 21 public facilities (5.4 billion KRW) and 6,972 private facilities (177.4 billion KRW), totaling 6,993 locations with 182.8 billion KRW in damages. Among private facilities, the affected included ▲3,701 vinyl greenhouses ▲805 livestock facilities ▲258 factory facilities ▲443 small business owners. Pyeongtaek City also suffered property damage amounting to approximately 101.1 billion KRW.

In Yongin City, as of this date, a total of 1,704 damage cases were reported to the city, with the damage amount totaling 56.659 billion KRW. Among these, the disaster relief fund support targets identified by Yongin City numbered 1,694 cases, with a total support scale of 8.627 billion KRW.

A total of 2,741 damage cases were reported in Icheon City, with damages amounting to approximately 34.3 billion KRW. In Icheon, besides the collapse of vinyl greenhouses and livestock facilities, damage to ginseng cultivation facilities was also significant. The damage scale by sector in the Icheon area due to this heavy snow was ▲livestock facilities 16.6 billion KRW ▲ginseng cultivation facilities 7.7 billion KRW ▲vinyl greenhouses 5.8 billion KRW.

The declaration of special disaster zones also alleviates the financial burden on local governments, as the state supports 50-80% of the local funds required for damage recovery.

Local governments on the front lines have also welcomed the special disaster zone declaration, albeit belatedly. Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin City, expressed gratitude, saying, "We appreciate the government's declaration of a special disaster zone for farms damaged by the heavy snow," and added, "We will strive to ensure that the remaining support procedures proceed swiftly."

Kim Kyung-hee, Mayor of Icheon City, stated, "This special disaster zone declaration will be an important opportunity to provide practical help to affected residents," and added, "We will restore citizens' daily lives as quickly as possible through prompt and efficient damage recovery." Kim Bora, Mayor of Anseong City, said, "We will do our best to cooperate with the government so that affected residents can receive practical assistance."

Jung Myung-geun, Mayor of Hwaseong City, said, "Hwaseong is one of the areas that suffered the greatest damage," and added, "With the government's swift declaration of the disaster zone, we will be able to speed up damage recovery." He also noted, "If the heavy snow damage is not quickly resolved, it could burden citizens with increased food prices," emphasizing, "Additional measures are needed beyond simple damage recovery to stabilize the livelihood economy."

Jung Jang-seon, Mayor of Pyeongtaek City, expressed gratitude for the government's prompt special disaster zone declaration, saying, "We will expedite all procedures to ensure that damage recovery proceeds without delay and do our best to help affected citizens restore their daily lives."

Meanwhile, when an area is declared a special disaster zone, affected residents receive benefits such as ▲financial support for damage recovery ▲low-interest loans for recovery funds ▲deferment of local tax payments ▲reductions in various public utility fees including health insurance premiums, electricity, telecommunications, and city gas.