Mayor Jung Chulwon Takes Proactive Measures with Ministry of the Interior and Safety
6.3 Billion KRW Provided for Residents’ Livelihood Stabilization
"We Will Do Our Best to Establish Permanent Disaster Prevention Infrastructure"
Jung Chulwon, the mayor of Damyang County, is explaining the damage status to Kim Youngrok, governor of Jeonnam Province (left in the photo), who visited the strawberry greenhouse-affected farms, and to officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety who inspected the flood damage sites and recovery status. Provided by Damyang County
Damyang County in South Jeolla Province has finalized the damage amount at 40.9 billion KRW and the recovery cost at 123 billion KRW due to the recent torrential rains, which is expected to accelerate swift recovery efforts and disaster prevention measures.
According to the county on August 21, the heavy rainfall that occurred from July 16 to 20 was caused by a strong rain band developing over the West Sea, resulting in downpours exceeding 80mm per hour and an average cumulative precipitation of 538.8mm.
Although half of the annual rainfall poured down across 12 towns and townships in a short period, preemptive evacuation of residents and an all-out response from all public officials allowed the crisis to be managed without any casualties.
On July 17, the county issued Emergency Level 3, launched a 24-hour response system, and urgently evacuated 480 residents from low-lying areas such as Goseo-myeon and Bongsan-myeon, as well as those in landslide-prone areas, to village halls and school auditoriums using buses.
The county immediately distributed 250 disaster relief kits and 60 emergency aid packages. Mayor Jung Chulwon canceled all his scheduled events to personally oversee the disaster site and visited temporary shelters to comfort residents.
As the damage amount far exceeded the 10.25 billion KRW threshold for designation as a special disaster area, all county staff promptly entered the damage details into the National Disaster Management System (NDMS) and actively responded to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's preliminary survey. As a result, the area was designated as a special disaster area on July 22. This enabled additional government support and tax reductions, providing substantial assistance to affected residents.
The subsequent joint central government investigation confirmed a total damage amount of 40.9 billion KRW. Public facility damages amounted to 22.2 billion KRW across 255 cases involving roads, rivers, and water supply facilities. Private property damages were tallied at 18.6 billion KRW, including 257 houses and 1,382 agricultural and forestry facilities, totaling 7,624 cases. The recovery cost was finalized at 123 billion KRW, with 116.7 billion KRW allocated for public facility restoration alone.
Mayor Jung personally guided key officials, including the head of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and the Director of Safety Prevention Policy at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, around the damage sites and made requests regarding the recovery projects. He also actively cooperated with the joint central government investigation team during their damage assessment.
Additionally, during Governor Kim Youngrok’s visit to the affected areas, Mayor Jung requested a budget of 500 million KRW for expanding CCTV coverage in rivers and high-crime areas, securing a commitment for support. He also received a positive response regarding the “Samji-Yangji District Comprehensive Recovery Project,” which aims to address recurring flooding in vulnerable areas.
Notably, on August 8, Mayor Jung visited the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and the Recovery Support Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to directly explain the damage situation and actively secure recovery funds. As a result, the recovery budget was increased by approximately 40 billion KRW, reaching a total of 82.5 billion KRW.
This is the largest recovery budget secured among all cities and counties in the province, and all three rivers (Oryecheon, Eosacheon, and Gasacheon) that applied for improvement and restoration were designated as improvement recovery sites.
The recovery process will be implemented in stages starting this year, using both national and local funds. Facilities requiring functional restoration will be repaired swiftly, while large-scale disaster-prone areas will be improved to strengthen disaster prevention capabilities.
A total of 6.3 billion KRW in disaster relief funds and consolation payments will be provided to residents affected by the torrential rains. Additional disaster relief funds have also been confirmed for items closely related to residents’ daily lives, such as homes, stores, and crops.
With the special disaster area designation, affected residents will receive not only general indirect support (24 items) but also additional benefits in 13 categories, including health insurance premium reductions, electricity bill discounts, and TV license fee exemptions. The county plans to distribute these benefits as quickly as possible by utilizing pre-established budgets.
Mayor Jung Chulwon emphasized, "Securing this recovery budget is not just about addressing the damage, but marks an important turning point in protecting residents’ safety and preventing future disasters. We will do our utmost to ensure the affected areas are restored as soon as possible and that permanent disaster prevention facilities are expanded."
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