President Lee Jae-myung visited Gyeongnam's Sancheong County on the 21st, where 10 people died and 4 went missing due to localized heavy rain, and said, "Practical support for the victims must be made at the level of the citizens.' He also directed that "all resources and administrative power be mobilized to support the affected residents quickly," including budget support from the central government. In particular, he decided to review the declaration of a special disaster area and the provision of earmarked tax (special) as soon as possible.
◇Lee: "Designate the special disaster area as quickly as possible."
On that day, President Lee checked the situation at the disaster site and the recovery status with Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung and Gyeongnam Governor Park Wan-soo. This region suffered significant damage from a large-scale forest fire in March this year, and recently, due to heavy rain, casualties have occurred with an estimated 135 billion won in property damage.
Wearing civil defense attire, President Lee said, "Please do your best to search for the missing for the families waiting for their safe return," adding, "The immediate concern is rescue, second is emergency recovery, and third is supporting the restoration of living conditions. It is also important for the disaster victims to return, so please mobilize your capabilities as much as possible." Minister Yoon replied, "We will provide support beyond what is requested."
President Lee responded to the request for the 'declaration of a special disaster area' by saying, "We will designate it as quickly as possible." Kang Yoo-jung, the President's spokesperson, noted, "President Lee expressed deep condolences for the tragic loss of life due to this heavy rain and directed the establishment of measures to prevent recurrence." Kang Hoon-sik, chief of the President's Office, also presided over a senior officials meeting at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the same day and said, "Let's strive for a rapid recovery response to provide some comfort to the disaster victims."
◇'Missing incident': In Sejong City, 'severe punishment' if public officials are found negligent.
The President's Office stated that if negligence is discovered among local government officials related to the incident in Sejong City where a man in his 40s went missing due to heavy rain, they would hold them accountable. In a situation where localized heavy rain has caused damage nationwide, they announced that if the local government is found to have responded inadequately, they would expect a 'severe punishment' as a deterrent.
During a briefing, Spokesperson Kang noted, "Despite the President's Office demanding thorough responses, in the case of Sejong City, it was revealed that the police and fire departments, as well as the local disaster command headquarters, were unaware of the missing citizen in the swift currents for a shocking 23 hours." He added, "Although the police had communicated the incident status to the fire department, Sejong City's disaster control tower malfunctioned and failed to recognize the incident in a timely manner and did not report it properly."
He further stated, "If serious negligence or wrongdoing is found, we will hold them strictly accountable and implement thorough measures to prevent recurrence." Spokesperson Kang emphasized, "The government will fulfill its roles and responsibilities, such as quickly reviewing the declaration of a special disaster area and the provision of earmarked tax (special)," and urged local governments to put forth their utmost efforts in disaster recovery and prevention.