"Need to Investigate the Link Between Solar Power and Landslides"… Unified and People’s Parties Speak with One Voice (Comprehensive)

Coordinated on Flood Disaster Supplementary Budget
Ahn Cheol-soo "Actively Cooperate on Supplementary Budget" Kim Jong-in "Have No Choice but to Approve Supplementary Budget"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Lee Ji-eun and Lim Chun-han] The opposition parties, including the United Future Party and the People’s Party, have raised suspicions about the connection between landslides caused by flooding and solar power facilities. They claim that solar power facilities have weakened the mountain’s flood control function, acting as a factor that triggered landslides. They also voiced a unified stance on the supplementary budget for flood recovery.

Kim Jong-in, emergency committee chairman of the United Future Party, said at the emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 10th, “I offer my deepest condolences to those suffering greatly from the flood,” and added, “The government should declare the flood-affected areas as special disaster zones and make every effort to ensure that relief for flood victims and damage recovery are carried out promptly.” The backdrop banner at the United Future Party emergency committee meeting that day read, “What we must do now is minimize the damage to the people.”

He said, “Recently, many landslides have occurred along with heavy rain, and there are also criticisms of reckless development of solar power facilities,” and emphasized, “While making thorough preparations for this flood recovery, I hope that thorough measures will be taken so that such floods and disasters never happen again.”

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, also said at the highest-level meeting that day, “An audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection should be conducted immediately regarding the connection between the solar power facilities spreading across the country and the recent landslides and flood damage,” and pointed out, “According to experts, the unsightly solar power facilities that have been built by digging up every mountain and valley across the country have paralyzed the natural flood control function.”

He said, “As a result, the ground weakened, causing landslides in many places, and the soil washed down covered numerous villages, causing casualties,” and added, “Suspicions of corruption in the approval process are also growing day by day.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Leader Ahn said, “The planned installation of solar power facilities should be completely suspended, and an immediate audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection should be conducted to clarify the problems in the approval process of solar power facilities and their connection to flood damage,” and proposed, “I suggest that the ruling and opposition parties approve this at the upcoming extraordinary parliamentary session for budget settlement scheduled this month.” He also emphasized that they will push for a joint national audit investigation by the opposition parties into solar power corruption and flood damage.

They also spoke with one voice regarding the supplementary budget for flood recovery. Leader Ahn said, “Since it has become clear that the current disaster budget and measures cannot solve this flood problem, the government must prepare special measures and request cooperation from the political circles,” and added, “If the supplementary budget is purely for disaster recovery and support for the people’s damage, the People’s Party will actively cooperate.” Kim Jong-in, who met with reporters after the United Future Party emergency committee meeting that day, also said, “The scale of the flood is so large that it will be impossible not to have a supplementary budget to cover it all.”

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