Emphasizing the Need to Revise Laws and Systems
with Clear Standards and Principles
"We must revise laws and systems to ensure that damage caused by natural disasters such as heavy rainfall is not repeated."
On July 28, Park Wansu, Governor of South Gyeongsang Province, made this statement during a 'Heavy Rain Damage Recovery Status Inspection Meeting' and proposed 'Five Major Improvement Measures to Prevent Recurrence of Disasters.'
Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is speaking about measures to prevent the recurrence of disasters at a meeting to inspect the recovery status from heavy rain damage. Provided by Gyeongnam Province
Governor Park first emphasized the need for maintenance, such as dredging rivers, to prevent a recurrence of flood damage.
He pointed out, "In some areas, the riverbed is higher than the village because riverbed maintenance has not been carried out for over ten years," and added, "When heavy rain falls in these places, river flooding is inevitable."
In particular, he said, "Even if a river or stream is formed by the same watercourse, some parts are designated as national rivers and others as local rivers, resulting in insufficient management authority." He instructed, "Investigate the local rivers that should be managed by the central government and request the National Assembly, the government, and the Office of the President to designate them as national rivers."
Secondly, regarding landslides, he stated, "The Forest Act does not clearly stipulate the scope of authority and responsibility," and added, "The limits of authority for establishing landslide prevention plans and taking preventive measures are unclear, and this must be clarified."
He continued, "When a natural disaster occurs, there is no clear legal basis for the binding force of evacuation orders or for imposing sanctions if people do not comply."
He emphasized, "Evacuation orders should be given according to the five Ws and one H, and residents must be sufficiently informed in advance about specific evacuation locations they can recognize in daily life."
Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is presiding over a meeting to inspect the recovery status of damage caused by heavy rain. Photo by Gyeongnam Province
He also said, "This heavy rainfall has caused severe damage to strawberry seedlings, but the current government support standards for crop damage do not include this, so farmers are experiencing significant difficulties." He added, "We must propose to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to revise the unreasonable and unbalanced compensation standards for damage so that they are clear, consistent, and fair."
Finally, he stated, "When developing areas with good views and scenery, if basic infrastructure such as drainage and roads is not properly established, the damage from landslides and other disasters can increase." He instructed, "Discuss with cities and counties to revise regulations related to development controls."
On this day, Governor Park called for the province's full efforts for swift recovery and prevention of recurrence, and reiterated, "Any part where standards regarding responsibility, authority, or management entities are unclear or inconsistent must be clarified and revised with clear legal standards and principles."
He added, "Clarify the division of authority and responsibility between the province and the central government, and between the province and cities and counties, and make recommendations to the government where necessary."
In addition, he instructed, "Along with requesting additional special disaster zones, cooperate with cities and counties to systematically and promptly deploy personnel and equipment for efficient disaster recovery."
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