Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Holds Emergency Meeting on Heavy Rain Response

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Kim Hyunsoo, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, held a meeting on July 2 at the Agricultural Disaster Countermeasures Situation Room in the Government Sejong Complex to review the response to heavy rains during the monsoon season. The meeting was convened to prepare related measures as the Korea Meteorological Administration forecasted heavy rainfall until the 5th due to the influence of typhoons Hagupit and others.

At the meeting, Minister Kim inspected the damage and response status in various sectors such as crops, livestock and quarantine, and forests related to the heavy rains on July 1-2. He urged proactive measures for rapid recovery support, farmers' safety, and additional damage prevention. He also ordered emergency measures and strengthened resident safety for reservoirs with embankment washouts (Sanyang Reservoir in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province) and slope washouts (Yongha Reservoir in Jecheon, Chungbuk Province), as well as urgent inspections and reinforcements for other vulnerable reservoirs to prevent damage.

Furthermore, due to concerns about crop conditions such as vegetables and fruit trees caused by continuous rain, he requested close monitoring of growth status and preemptive preparations to prevent future supply and demand issues. He also asked for cooperation from local government heads and leading farmers in the region to ensure no vulnerabilities arise in African Swine Fever (ASF) quarantine measures.

In addition, he emphasized thorough guidance to livestock farms to prevent safety accidents caused by electrical facility short circuits in barns, and urged strengthening of landslide prevention activities and safety inspections of solar power facilities in rural areas. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to urgently support necessary personnel and equipment for rapid damage recovery and additional damage prevention measures in cooperation with local military units and the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.