Opposition: "President Yoon Should Not Have Left Work Amid Heavy Rain Concerns... Must Prioritize Citizen Safety"

"Disaster Situations Make Socially Vulnerable Groups More Susceptible, Please Prioritize Their Care"

On the night of the 8th, the road near Jinhung Apartment in Seocho-gu, Seoul, was flooded. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] On the 9th, the political circle also moved urgently in response to the heavy rain in the metropolitan area. They checked the situation on site and provided information through social networking services (SNS). There were also criticisms regarding President Yoon Seok-yeol's failure to visit the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters due to flood damage the previous day during the heavy rain situation.

On the same day, Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "A record-breaking heavy rain of up to 400mm poured down, causing a tragedy with 7 deaths and 6 missing persons in Seoul and Gyeonggi areas. What is more worrisome is the forecast that such conditions may continue within this week." He added, "The government must maintain the response system with related agencies and make every effort to prevent casualties." He continued, "The Democratic Party will also do its best to restore and prevent damage in the metropolitan area including Seoul and the central Gangwon region," and said, "Above all, we will do our utmost to ensure citizens' safety and damage recovery."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Park Yong-jin, a lawmaker who challenged for the Democratic Party leadership, said on SNS, "Many citizens are weighed down by the record-breaking water bomb in 80 years." He reported, "Citizens trapped on buses for hours unable to go home, children stuck in academies, office workers who gave up going home due to heavy rain and booked cheap nearby hotels, flooded stores, and flooded houses." He urged, "Socially vulnerable people cannot easily escape disasters and calamities until they are right in front of them. I urge related ministries, Seoul city, and related local governments to prioritize vulnerable areas and vulnerable groups affected by flooding and heavy rain."

On the same day, Han Jun-ho, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said on SNS, "If you were worried about heavy rain damage, you shouldn't have left work early. Do you have the will to run the government?" He added, "How can we entrust the lives of the people to a president who cannot even properly go to work due to heavy rain? It's so pathetic."

President Yoon chaired an emergency countermeasure meeting at the Seoul Situation Center of the Central Disaster and Safety Situation Room in the Government Seoul Office Building that morning.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In a phone interview with Asia Economy, the lawmaker pointed out, "The president should be able to be on site during emergencies like heavy rain, but he was not able to do so yesterday." It is known that President Yoon tried to visit the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and the damage sites related to the concentrated heavy rain damage in the metropolitan area the previous day, but due to flooding on roads near his residence, vehicle movement was difficult, so he received reports and gave instructions on the heavy rain situation from his home.

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