Assemblyman Lee Hyung-seok "Designation of Gwangju as a Special Disaster Area"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Rep. Lee Hyung-seok (Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangju Buk-gu Eul) announced on the 24th that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety declared a special disaster area including Buk-gu, Gwangsan-gu, and parts of Dong-gu, Seo-gu, and Nam-gu in Gwangju Metropolitan City.

According to the special disaster areas announced by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the same day, there are 20 cities, counties, and districts including Gwangju Buk-gu, Gwangsan-gu, Icheon-si in Gyeonggi Province, Hwacheon-gun in Gangwon Province, and Danyang-gun in Chungbuk Province.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety additionally designated 36 towns, townships, and neighborhoods nationwide as special disaster areas, including six neighborhoods in Dong-gu, Seo-gu, and Nam-gu in Gwangju, as well as cities, counties, and districts.

Areas declared as special disaster zones will receive additional national treasury support for part of the local government’s share of restoration costs.

Residents who suffered damage to their homes and main livelihoods such as agriculture and fisheries will receive disaster relief funds for livelihood support, along with additional benefits such as reductions in electricity bills and other public utility charges.

With the inclusion of the relatively financially challenged Gwangju area as a special disaster zone, rapid disaster recovery has become possible, and it is expected that conditions will be created for flood-affected residents to return to their livelihoods early.

Rep. Lee has been making every effort to have virtually the entire Gwangju area, including Buk-gu, Gwangsan-gu, Dong-gu, Seo-gu, and parts of Nam-gu, designated as special disaster areas.

Since the heavy rain began on the 7th, Rep. Lee visited the damage sites with on-duty staff and local government officials to assess the situation and devise ways to minimize damage.

He also closely consulted with the government, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, and local governments regarding the damage situation in the region, strongly requesting that Gwangju be included in the special disaster areas to enable prompt recovery and support.

In particular, at the plenary meeting of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee held on the 21st, he urged Minister of the Interior and Safety Jin Young to immediately support budgets by designating special disaster areas at the town, township, or neighborhood level if conditions at the city or county level are insufficient, noting that many local governments are struggling with disaster recovery due to poor financial independence.

Rep. Lee Hyung-seok stated, “As a result of all-out efforts to help residents and the region devastated by severe flooding, Buk-gu and Gwangsan-gu in Gwangju were included in the special disaster areas,” adding, “Now, we will do our best together with related ministries and local governments to ensure that the recovery projects proceed without any setbacks.”

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