Yoon declares 13 special disaster zones over heavy rain

Most areas are in North Gyeongsang, South Chungcheong provinces

By Ko Dong-hwan

President Yoon Suk Yeol designated 13 areas affected most severely by torrential rains as special disaster zones, including cities and counties in North Gyeongsang Province, North Jeolla Province and North and South Chungcheong provinces, Wednesday.

The announcement came amid search and rescue operations for those who remain missing, and the presidential office said additional designations are expected depending on the completion of the government's damage inspection.

The latest special disaster zones are Yecheon, Bonghwa, Yeongju and Mungyeong in North Gyeongsang Province; Nonsan, Gongju, Cheongyang and Buyeo in South Chungcheong Province; Cheongju and Goesan in North Chungcheong Province; and Iksan and Gimje's Juksan Township in North Jeolla Province. Sejong Special Self-Governing City is also on the beneficiary list.

Local governments and district offices for the areas designated as special disaster zones receive special benefits from the central government, including special funds to be used for recovery work. Residents in the zones are also exempted from paying certain taxes and will receive discounts on public utility fees.

There are standards for designating a special disaster zone in the country. For cities, counties and districts, damage should amount to between 5 billion won ($4 million) and 11 billion won. As for smaller districts, the requirement is sustaining damage worth 500 million won to 1.1 billion won.

Yoon ordered Interior and Safety Vice Minister Han Chang-seob, who is acting minister now, to oversee the recovery of infrastructure in the disaster-hit regions and prevent further casualties. The president also ordered Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Chung Hwang-keun to support rural households that have been hit by the disaster and secure crops and produce to keep nationwide consumption going.

Presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon speaks during a briefing at the presidential office in central Seoul's Yongsan District, Wednesday. Yonhap

Lee Do-woon, the spokesperson of the presidential office, admitted that the latest special disaster zone designation came about two weeks faster than usual for past natural disasters. He said the president, who was overseas when the torrential downpour started, saw to it that the governmental support for victims of the latest flood should be meted out fast without delay.

The torrential downpour started earlier this month and became particularly extreme last week for days, flooding regions and causing landslides nationwide. As of Wednesday, 44 had died and six were still missing nationwide. This marks the latest flood disaster as the worst since 2011 when rain triggered flash floods and landslides that led to at least 77 deaths.

In this most recent disaster, most casualties came from North Gyeongsang Province and the Chungcheong Provinces. In North Gyeongsang, where landslides in mountainous regions were most devastating, 27 either died or went missing and 17 sustained injuries. In North Chungcheong Province, 17 died and 14 were injured. The figures include those from a traffic tunnel in Cheongju's Osong area that filled with water suddenly, killing 14 people and injuring 10.

Almost 8,000 people nationwide have been evacuated from their homes due to flooding or landslides. A member of the First Marine Division engaged in a search and rescue operation in Yecheon County on Tuesday went missing in the morning as he swept away by flood waters.