[Reporter’s Notebook] Special Disaster Relief Funds Alone Cannot Heal Sancheong County’s Wounds

It is certainly a meaningful initiative that Sancheong County in South Gyeongsang Province is seeking to distribute special disaster relief funds to promote local economic recovery. The administration's efforts to provide tangible support to residents whose livelihoods have been threatened by sudden disasters can be positively evaluated.

However, in order to operate the same system in the future, a more stable and predictable framework must be established. What disaster victims want is not grand announcements or the size of the relief funds. The two questions that sum up all the complaints and anxieties on the ground are: "When can we receive the funds?" and "Why is the process so complicated?"

The administration always promises 'prompt payment,' but the message delivered on the ground is different. The process from application to verification and payment is still slow, and communication between departments is far from smooth.

Photo by Choi Sunkyung, Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters.

Even from a reporter's perspective, within the current structure, no matter how hard the staff work, the word 'prompt' rings hollow. If the system is slow, people cannot be fast.

The bigger problem is that this delay is not simply a matter of administrative procedure. Sancheong County has experienced both major and minor disasters repeatedly over the past few years. Large-scale damage caused by wildfires, river flooding, landslides, and heavy rain is no longer 'unusual.' Nevertheless, the county's response remains focused on post-disaster recovery, and even that is limited to repetitive measures.

The answer to the question, "Why has the same damage occurred again?" is still inadequate. What struck the reporter the most while visiting the affected areas was the administration's attitude toward 'prevention and management.'

Maintenance of hazardous areas has been postponed, and issues repeatedly pointed out by residents have once again resulted in damage. Although a considerable budget is spent on recovery projects, it is necessary to examine whether that money is actually used to 'prevent' disasters or merely to 'patch things up' after the damage is done.

The necessity of special disaster relief funds is clear. For affected residents, that money is their livelihood and a lifeline. However, such relief funds cannot address the root causes of disasters.

What Sancheong County needs now is not one-off support, but three things: ▲ improvement of disaster preparedness structures ▲ transparency in budget execution ▲ and a long-term regional recovery strategy. Another notable issue is the lack of information during the recovery process. Residents find it difficult to know what criteria are used to set priorities or which companies are involved in the recovery work.

One resident met on site said, "The administration always says it is busy during disasters, but we never know what is actually happening or how things are progressing." This statement reflects a lack of trust. Disaster recovery is the administration’s responsibility, but it is the residents who bear the consequences.

This disaster has revealed just how unprepared the Sancheong County administration has been. Disasters must be anticipated.

Sancheong County now faces a choice. Will it remain stuck in 'relief fund administration,' or will it transform into an administration that 'reduces disasters'? Special disaster relief funds are only a temporary fix; future measures that will make Sancheong County safer must begin with strong structural reforms.