"Cheongyang That Will Not Collapse Even Under Heavy Rain" - Governor Kim Dongon Demonstrates Disaster Recovery Leadership

Swift Response Despite Three Consecutive Years as a Special Disaster Area
Governor Kim Mobilizes Task Force for Rapid Recovery
Aims to Complete Restoration Before the 2026 Rainy Season

In July, County Governor Kim Dongon inspected areas affected by heavy rain. Cheongyang County Office

Kim Dongon, the governor of Cheongyang County in South Chungcheong Province, is once again demonstrating crisis response leadership.

Despite Cheongyang County being declared a special disaster area for the third consecutive year and suffering a total of 38.5 billion KRW in damages from heavy rainfall, he prioritized the safety and stability of residents' lives. He immediately established a dedicated recovery task force to ensure swift disaster recovery.

According to the county on August 22, a total of 2,286 damage cases occurred throughout Cheongyang County due to heavy rain that lasted from July 16 to 20.

In response, the government designated Cheongyang County as a special disaster area on August 6. Governor Kim personally inspected the affected sites and, under the principle that "prompt recovery protects residents' lives," mobilized all departments to fully activate the recovery system.

He identified "speed and efficiency" as the core values of the recovery process. The task force aims to complete the detailed design and preliminary reviews by December this year, and to finish all restoration work by June 2026, before the rainy season.

Governor Kim is directly overseeing measures to accelerate the process, such as simplifying administrative procedures, placing bulk orders for government-supplied materials, and promoting advance payments, striving to make Cheongyang a place where residents can feel safe.

County Governor Kim Dongon is inspecting areas affected by the heavy rain last July. / Cheongyang County Office

He has also worked swiftly to support the daily recovery of affected residents, recognizing that restoring their lives is as important as facility restoration. Efforts included providing emergency disaster relief funds, subsidies for damaged agricultural machinery, and operating temporary housing facilities to help maintain basic living conditions.

In particular, he has adopted an "improvement recovery" approach that goes beyond simple restoration, aiming to prevent similar damages from recurring.

This includes applying structural reinforcement methods to river embankments, roads, and agricultural infrastructure, as well as regularly checking emergency contact networks and strengthening proactive response systems during adverse weather conditions.

Governor Kim stated, "Being declared a special disaster area three times in a row shows how exposed Cheongyang County is to natural disasters, but it also proves how resiliently we have overcome them. We will minimize residents' damages and complete a swift and transparent recovery, making Cheongyang a place that will not collapse even when it rains."