National Policy Planning Committee Proposes Gwangju as Nation's First Pilot City for Disaster Safety Prevention

On the morning of the 8th, Park Changgeun, chairman of the Disaster Safety Subcommittee of the National Policy Planning Committee, explained after inspecting the Sinangyo Bridge site in Buk-gu, Gwangju, which was flooded by the recent extreme heavy rain. Photo by Yonhap News

The National Policy Planning Committee has decided to propose to central government ministries a project to designate Gwangju as the nation’s first pilot city for disaster safety prevention.

On August 8, Park Changgeun, chairman of the Disaster Safety Subcommittee of the National Policy Planning Committee, made this announcement after visiting flood-damaged areas in Yang-dong, Seo-gu, and Sinan-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju.

Chairman Park explained, “As the city has expanded, road shortages have led to urban designs such as covering rivers. As a result, typical flood damage is now occurring.”

He further stated, “In the past, urban planning was designed to withstand rainfall events that occur every 50 to 80 years. However, the current disaster response system is no longer capable of defending against floods. If action is delayed further, flood and inundation damage in urban areas will only grow worse.”

He added, “Korean cities are vulnerable to flooding, and it is time for our society to come together and determine what must be done. After comprehensive review and discussion, I will propose that Gwangju be designated as a pilot city for flood prevention.”

Since the pilot city for disaster safety prevention would be the first of its kind in the country, specific details regarding support and budget are expected to be determined through consultations with central government ministries such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The National Policy Planning Committee plans to formally propose the disaster safety prevention pilot city project at a public briefing session scheduled for August 13, based on the findings from the site inspections conducted that day.