"Support from About 500 Military Personnel Is Insufficient"
"Will Secure Maximum Budget and Prepare Support Measures"
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited the wildfire damage site in the Gyeongbuk region on the 27th and said, "I am considering requesting the central government to deploy all available military personnel to suppress the fire."
During his visit to the Jinbo Culture and Sports Center in Cheongsong, Gyeongbuk, Lee made these remarks while inspecting the fire damage site. He said, "From what I have gathered, about 500 military personnel are currently being supported, but that seems very insufficient," adding, "I think large-scale military personnel support is necessary."
He also said, "Currently, shelters for disaster victims are insufficient, especially around Andong. There is a shortage of temporary residential tents," and added, "Since the number of disaster victims is likely to continue increasing, we have requested temporary support of surplus resources from Democratic Party-affiliated local governments in areas unaffected by the wildfire."
He also began assessing the inventory of modular houses for emergency temporary housing. Lee said, "The problem is the next step. There are so many houses destroyed that securing temporary housing is an urgent matter," and added, "In the long term, we need to either rebuild houses or urgently supply modular houses. From our party’s perspective, I have instructed to investigate how many modular houses are available nationwide."
Yoon Kyung-hee, mayor of Cheongsong County, said, "As the leader said, what we want to ask for is temporary housing," and requested, "At least prefabricated housing should be supplied quickly so that we can return to agriculture and our livelihoods as soon as possible."
Before visiting Cheongsong, Lee visited a disaster victim shelter set up at the Jeomgok Sports Center in Uiseong County that morning and promised support for the victims’ livelihoods, saying, "The government will take full responsibility for food, clothing, and shelter for a considerable period. We will also support building houses, so please do not worry."
He also said, "From the government’s perspective, it is not a large amount of money, so we will secure the maximum budget possible to provide support." After inspecting the wildfire damage site in Sachon 1-ri, Jeomgok-myeon, Uiseong County, Lee visited the memorial altar for the late Captain Park Hyun-woo, who died in a helicopter crash. He expressed deep condolences by writing in the guestbook, "A noble sacrifice. The entire nation will never forget."
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