Quake-hit Gyeongju to be designated as disaster zone

The government and the ruling Saenuri Party are reviewing a plan to designate Gyeongju as a special disaster zone after the city was hit by South Korea's strongest earthquake last week, official sources said Sunday.

Sources at the Office of Government Policy Coordination, agriculture, transportation and public safety ministries as well as lawmakers from the ruling party agreed to carry out a detailed damage assessment of the region located some 371 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Based on the assessment the government will designate the entire region a disaster area, which will allow residents to get emergency relief and special administrative, fiscal and financial support.

The capital of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla (57 B.C. to A.D. 935) was hit by a magnitude 5.8 tremor on Monday that was felt by people throughout most of South Korea. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the quake was the strongest recorded since 1978.

Related to the move, Saenuri chief Lee Jung-hyun stressed that relief funds must be made available as soon as possible so that Gyeongju residents can make repairs to facilities and go back to their regular lives.

Other party policymakers said that the government needs to take into account lost revenue caused by people postponing visits and schools canceling field trips to the city and surrounding areas that are rich in cultural sites. (Yonhap)