President Lee Jae-myung said on the 22nd, "We must strictly crack down on public officials who enjoyed drinking and singing at the scene where the people are dying." This statement comes amid widespread damage from localized torrential rain, emphasizing the discipline and accountability within the public service. It was made just a day after the Presidential Office warned of severe penalties regarding the inadequate response to missing persons incidents due to heavy rainfall in Sejong City.
On that day, President Lee chaired the State Council meeting at the Yongsan Presidential Office and stated, "I want to emphasize once again that accountability is truly important in the public service." After mentioning the damage from the heavy rain and the recovery situation, he added, "While there are many diligent public officials, please strive to discover excellent examples so they can serve as role models." He also remarked, "On the other hand, I hope strict measures are taken against irrational public officials who enjoy drinking and singing in harsh situations or act without plans."
The President's warning remarks seem to be aimed at videos that surfaced on the 20th showing Guri Mayor Baek Kyung-hyun and others singing and dancing at a picnic. At the time the video was filmed, Guri City was experiencing flood damage, and many public officials from Guri City Hall had begun emergency work early in the morning.
The need to establish a new system to respond to natural disasters was also mentioned during the meeting. It was suggested that a framework utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) should be prepared to cope with global warming and abnormal weather.
President Lee remarked, "Observing this monsoon and heavy rain made me realize that there are limits to responding with existing methods and facility equipment alone," and requested, "Prime Minister, please develop fundamental measures anew and conduct a comprehensive analysis of the situation." He further expressed, "Since artificial intelligence also has useful aspects, I hope a new comprehensive response system for natural disasters is constructed regionally and by type."