Muju County Conducts Joint Safety Inspection of Disaster Recovery Sites

Two Sites Including Yudong Small Stream in Bunam-myeon and Munam Reservoir

Muju County in North Jeolla Province announced on the 9th that it conducted a joint safety inspection the previous day, together with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, at disaster recovery sites including the Yudong small stream in Bunam-myeon and the Munam Reservoir.

Exterior view of Muju County Office. Provided by Muju County

Approximately 20 people participated in the inspection, including Lee Hankyung, Director-General for Disaster and Safety Management (Vice Minister for Safety) at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Oh Taekrim, Director of Provincial Safety for North Jeolla Province, Hwang Inhong, Mayor of Muju County, as well as other relevant officials.

Lee Hankyung stated, "It is important to thoroughly analyze the causes of past disasters to prevent similar disasters from occurring again." He also requested, "Please make every effort to strengthen preventive measures and eradicate poor construction, which is one of the recurring causes of disasters, and ensure that key construction processes are completed before the rainy season."

The Yudong small stream in Daeyu-ri, Bunam-myeon, Muju County, suffered damage in July last year due to heavy rainfall, resulting in the loss of ten sections of riverbank. The county used reserve funds to carry out design work from September to November last year, and began restoration work on the small stream's riverbank, as well as concrete and asphalt pavement repairs, in December, with a total project cost of 400 million won. Completion is scheduled for early July this year.

The Munam Reservoir in Daeso-ri also sustained damage in July last year when its embankment was washed away. After an emergency inspection by the Korea Rural Community Corporation's Safety Diagnosis Headquarters, disaster recovery work began in March this year, including embankment construction, riverbank restoration, and the reinstallation of spillways and drainage channels. Completion is scheduled for September 20.

Hwang Inhong, Mayor of Muju County, said, "We will do our utmost to ensure that major construction processes are completed before the rainy season, and to prevent any damage by maintaining on-site personnel and checking flood control materials." He added, "Based on the results of our disaster cause analysis, we will establish measures to prevent recurrence and protect the precious lives and safety of our residents."