President Moon Declares Uljin and Samcheok Special Disaster Areas... Comforts Residents

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] President Moon Jae-in declared the areas of Uljin in Gyeongsangbuk-do and Samcheok in Gangwon-do, which suffered damage from a large-scale wildfire, as special disaster zones on the 6th.

On that day, after meeting with evacuated residents at the Uljin National Sports Center in Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk, President Moon approved the declaration of the special disaster zone around 2:50 PM, White House spokesperson Park Kyung-mi conveyed in a written briefing.

To the residents he met that day, President Moon said, "Losing your homes overnight must bring an indescribable sense of loss," and added, "The government will do its utmost to ensure swift recovery so that residents can return to their daily lives."

He emphasized, "The fastest way the government can help is by declaring a special disaster zone so that the state can directly undertake recovery efforts."

Following Uljin, President Moon visited the Korea Gas Corporation Samcheok Production Base Headquarters located in Samcheok, Gangwon-do, received a report on wildfire prevention measures, and urged, "Even if preparations are thorough, facilities such as LNG plants or nuclear power plants can cause unpredictable damage if an accident occurs. Please consider even the slightest possibility and defend thoroughly until the wildfire is completely extinguished."

With the designation of the special disaster zone, the government will provide national funding to cover part of the restoration costs for houses damaged by the wildfire in this area. For affected residents, living stabilization support funds will be provided for livelihood relief.

The government plans to decide on additional special disaster zone designations after comprehensively assessing the damage situation once the wildfire is extinguished.

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