Emphasizing the Need for National-Level Management Beyond Local Efforts
"We will do our utmost to search for the missing persons and focus all our efforts on restoring the daily lives of the residents."
Park Myungkyun, the Deputy Governor for Administrative Affairs of South Gyeongsang Province, made this statement on the afternoon of July 24 at the provincial government press center while announcing the damage, recovery, and restoration status related to the recent heavy rainfall.
He emphasized the need for the government to additionally declare Jinju, Hadong, Uiryeong, and Hamyang?four cities and counties that suffered significant damage from the heavy rainfall, following Sancheong and Hadong?as special disaster zones.
Park Myungkyun, Deputy Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is announcing the damage and recovery status caused by heavy rain. Photo by Lee Seryung
He also requested that the government upgrade Deokcheongang in Hadong and Yangcheon in Sancheong, where embankments collapsed and rivers overflowed, flooding nearby greenhouse facilities, to the status of national rivers.
He explained, "Both rivers have large basin areas and are vulnerable to heavy rainfall and extreme weather, so the risk of disasters always exists. With the intensification of the climate crisis, the frequency of localized heavy rain and atypical floods is increasing, so it is urgent to establish a systematic and integrated management system at the national level, beyond just a local response."
Deputy Governor Park also called for national funding to support the dredging of local rivers such as Deokcheongang and Hogaecheon, where large amounts of sediment have accumulated due to the heavy rains.
He also stated that the support funds for the restoration of homes damaged by the heavy rainfall should be raised to a level equivalent to the support provided for the Sancheong wildfire damage in March.
Park Myungkyun, Deputy Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is announcing the damage and recovery status from the heavy rain. Photo by Lee Seryung
Due to the recent heavy rainfall, 948 houses in Sancheong, Hapcheon, Hadong, Uiryeong, and other areas in South Gyeongsang Province were either destroyed by landslides or submerged.
A total of 4,379 hectares of farmland were flooded, and 280,000 livestock?including cattle, ducks, and chickens?died, resulting in a series of damages to private property.
Public facilities were also affected, with 1,176 sites damaged due to flooded or severed roads and overflowing rivers.
Water and power outages also occurred due to landslides and the flooding of telecommunication relay stations.
Between July 16 and July 19, torrential rain led to the deaths of 13 residents and the disappearance of 1 person in Sancheong alone.
In 17 cities and counties, excluding Yangsan, 8,000 people from 6,154 households evacuated but have since returned home as the situation stabilized.
Currently, 710 people from 473 households?including residents of Sangneung Village in Sancheong, where the entire village collapsed due to a landslide?are staying in public facilities such as the Seonbi Culture Research Institute in Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong County, the share house in Samga-myeon, Hapcheon County, and private accommodations.
South Gyeongsang Province has deployed 13,945 personnel?including government officials, military units, firefighters, and volunteers?and 2,354 pieces of equipment such as excavators, dump trucks, and water trucks to the affected sites for secondary accident prevention and emergency restoration work.
Emergency restoration has been completed for 581 public facilities, including 281 roads such as village access roads and 72 rivers, and disinfection work has also been carried out in all areas affected by the heavy rainfall.
Temporary shelters, meals, and relief supplies are being provided to residents who have not yet returned home, and face-to-face counseling and emergency medical support are being offered to help affected residents recover psychologically.
The search for the last missing person continues, with the search area expanded to include regions such as the Gyehogang River.
For the 16 residents of 13 households in Sangneung Village, plans are in place to create a relocation complex and new homes to provide them with a place to settle.
Deputy Governor Park stated, "We will implement practical recovery measures so that residents can return to their daily lives as quickly as possible, and we will continue to work closely with the government."
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