Democratic Party Gwangju Branch Requests Declaration of 'Special Disaster Area' for Gwangju Region

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Democratic Party of Korea Gwangju Metropolitan City Party has requested the declaration of a special disaster area in Gwangju, where record-breaking heavy rain fell, and budget support for complete damage recovery.

On the 11th, the Democratic Party Gwangju City Party stated, "From the 7th to the 8th, more than 500mm of heavy rain poured over the Gwangju area, flooding low-lying areas throughout the city and causing the Hwangryong River area to overflow, resulting in 1,041 cases of property damage in public and private facilities."

They added, "Since then, the rain has continued and the damage situation is still increasing, so more property damage is expected," and said, "The problem is that, combined with the ongoing 'COVID-19' situation since early this year, the local government's budget for disaster recovery is running out, making it difficult to prepare realistic support measures."

The Gwangju City Party requested the government, saying, "Related budgets of Gwangju City, such as the disaster management fund, have been almost exhausted due to COVID-19 response, and the special allocation tax of 1 billion won granted on the 10th is far from sufficient. Additional national funding for flood recovery must be provided through the designation of a special disaster area."

They added, "We do not know how much more rain will fall in the future, but we believe that this natural disaster can be overcome if the government's strong support, local government assistance, and the united strength of Gwangju citizens to overcome the disaster are combined."

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