Park Chandae, a candidate for the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited a flood recovery site in Sunchang, North Jeolla Province, on July 26 and participated in volunteer activities.
Park Chandae, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for party leader, is working on restoration at a furniture department store in Seo-gu, Gwangju, an area affected by flooding on the 21st. Photo by Yonhap News
Since July 21, Park has been visiting flood-affected areas nationwide?including Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, and Honam?continuing his volunteer work in the aftermath of the heavy rainfall.
Park said, "Seeing it on screen is completely different from facing it on site," and added, "I keenly felt that politics needs to be present earlier and closer to the people," conveying the seriousness of the situation.
He continued, "In disaster response, speed is equivalent to responsibility. Requiring regions at risk of extinction to shoulder part of the recovery costs according to their fiscal self-reliance is the same as telling them not to recover. The state must take full responsibility until the end."
He proposed fundamental institutional improvements, including: full government funding for recovery costs in high-risk areas facing local extinction; establishing direct reporting-based emergency procedures for rapid response; effective measures for agricultural and livestock disaster insurance; and the prompt implementation of the Act on Countermeasures against Agricultural and Fishery Disasters and the Agricultural and Fishery Disaster Insurance Act.
Park stated, "Disasters may be sudden, but recovery must be prepared. The state must stand by the people not just in words, but through laws and systems. I sincerely hope the National Assembly will take the lead."
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