The Presidential Office said on the 21st that it would hold local governments accountable if any laxity in public service discipline is found in relation to the incident where a man in his 40s went missing due to heavy rain in Sejong City. In a situation where localized heavy rain damage has occurred nationwide and the government has called for 'region-specific measures,' it has indicated that it would impose 'exemplary' punishment for inadequate local government responses.
Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung noted at an afternoon briefing that "despite the Presidential Office's call for a thorough response, it was revealed that in the case of Sejong City, the police, fire authorities, and local disaster command authorities were unaware of the missing citizen in the rapid current for as long as 23 hours." She added, "Although the police communicated the accident situation to the fire department, the disaster control tower in Sejong City did not operate properly, resulting in a delayed recognition of the incident and inadequate reporting of the situation."
She also stated, "If serious violations of public service discipline or wrongdoing are discovered, we will hold responsibility strictly and take thorough measures to prevent recurrence." Spokesperson Kang emphasized, "The government will fulfill its role and responsibilities, including promptly reviewing the declaration of special disaster areas and the provision of earmarked tax (special)." She urged local governments to fully commit to disaster recovery and prevention in line with this.
According to the fire authorities, a man in his 40s, referred to as A, was swept away by a rapid current shortly after 2:21 a.m. on the 17th near the Da-jeong bridge in Eojin-dong, Sejong City. At that time, the Sejong City disaster management headquarters elevated its emergency response to level 2 at 1:10 a.m. and convened an emergency meeting for disaster situation management. Approximately one hour later, the missing person incident occurred. The police communicated the missing report to the fire department and requested cooperation, confirming the occurrence of the accident through CCTV and sharing the information.
In contrast, it is reported that the disaster management headquarters recognized the incident only 23 hours after it occurred. They confirmed via CCTV that A was carried away by the rapid current at 1:41 a.m. on the 18th. Moreover, at 9 a.m. on the same day, the heavy rain response report from the Sejong City disaster management headquarters did not include any mention of missing persons within its jurisdiction. The current mayor of Sejong City belongs to the People Power Party.
Spokesperson Kang stated, "Disasters are not a subject of political disputes." She emphasized, "Both the ruling and opposition parties must work together to overcome disasters. The foremost duty of public officials is to ensure the safety of the people's lives, and I will prove this through action."