The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on the 4th that, with presidential approval, it additionally declared all of Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, a special disaster zone due to damage from the torrential downpours.
Areas declared special disaster zones can receive additional central government support for part of the restoration costs that local governments are required to cover. Residents in the affected areas are also provided with disaster relief funds, deferrals of national and local government tax payments, and reductions in public utility fees.
Earlier, during the Liberation Day holiday from Aug. 15 to 18, torrential downpours of up to 900 millimeters hit Geoje and Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province. As a result, one person died and three were injured, and there was damage to facilities, including flooding.
In response, on Aug. 21 the government first declared all of Geoje and Sanyang-eup and Bongpyeong-dong in Tongyeong as special disaster zones based on a preliminary survey. Following a central joint survey conducted from Aug. 29 to Sept. 4, it additionally declared all of Tongyeong, which met the declaration criteria. Ten ministries, including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, and the Korea Forest Service, as well as private-sector experts, took part in the joint survey.
Yoon Ho-jung, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said, "We will swiftly establish a recovery plan so that affected residents can return to normal life as soon as possible, and ensure that support for the affected areas proceeds without a hitch."