Gyeongju to be named disaster area
By Jung Min-ho
The government has decided to designate Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, as a special disaster area in the wake of last week’s powerful earthquakes that caused damage to the historic city and surrounding region.
Rep. Kim Gwang-lim, chief of the ruling Saenuri Party’s policy planning committee, said related ministries, Cheong Wa Dae and the party have agreed to help the city repair the damage as soon as possible.
The announcement comes a day after President Park Geun-hye’s visit to the city, where she encouraged residents who still suffer from anxiety.
Once the official designation is made, the city will receive up to 80 percent of the repair costs of the damage from the government and its residents will receive tax benefits in regard to national insurance and public utility charges.
Most recently, after the sinking of ferry Sewol in 2014, the government designated Jin Island, close to where the ferry sank, and Ansan of Gyeonggi Province, where most of the victims lived, as special disaster areas.
In North Gyeongsang Province, more than 4,400 damage reports have so far been accepted. Among them, more than 4,000 came from Gyeongju, the epicenter of the nation’s strongest quake last week with a magnitude of 5.8 and more than 400 aftershocks.
The quakes injured 48 people, damaging roof tiles and cracking the walls of many buildings, including cultural heritage structures. According to the Gyeongju City Government, total damage so far has been estimated at 10.7 billion won ($9.5 million), which is above the required amount to be designated as a special disaster area (7.5 billion won).
With many schools cancelling field trips to Gyeongju, which is one of the most popular destinations for students in the country, the real financial damage to the city is expected to be far bigger.
Concerns about further damage are growing after a magnitude 3.5 aftershock hit the city again, Wednesday.
Many volunteers from across the country have already worked to restore Gyeongju. Support from the government is expected to expedite the process. More than 80 cultural heritage buildings, including national treasures Bulguk Temple and Cheomseongdae Observatory, were found to be damaged, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration. They will be among the top priorities in the government’s restoration mission.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Safety and Security has come under fire after repeatedly proving itself nothing but an additional burden to the taxpayers.
Every time a quake hit Gyeongju and other neighboring regions, the ministry failed to inform people of the situation. Many people received warning messages belatedly or received nothing at all. Its website crashed at the times when it was needed the most and the ministry has not found out yet why this happened.
At the National Assembly, Minister Park In-yong was criticized for showing no leadership in handling the crisis. Rep. Park Sung-joong of the Saenuri Party said the ministry does not do the job that other organizations would have otherwise done better and faster.
The ministry’s constant mission failures have prompted people to be prepared for what may come next on their own. Some share earthquake safety tips from Japanese books via social media, while others post pictures of their emergency backpacks with food and other equipment.