Record Torrential Rains Damage 24 National Heritage Sites... Seungsu Kim of People Power Party Warns "No Emergency Repair Funds, Further Damage Feared"

Recently, disaster-level torrential rains?estimated to occur only once every 200 years?have caused damage to 24 national heritage sites. However, it has been revealed that the remaining budget for the National Heritage Emergency Repair Project is zero.

Seungsu Kim, a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (People Power Party, Buk-gu-eul, Daegu), stated on July 24, "According to the 'Status of National Heritage Damage Due to Torrential Rains' received from the National Heritage Administration, 20 national heritage sites suffered direct damage during the five days of heavy rain from July 16 to July 20, and the surroundings of four additional sites were damaged, bringing the total number of affected national heritage sites to 24."

People Power Party member Seungsu Kim

By designation grade, the damage includes 2 National Treasures, 2 Treasures, 12 Historic Sites, 4 Registered Sites, 2 Natural Monuments, and 2 Scenic Sites, all of which suffered direct or indirect damage from the torrential rains. For example, at Seokguram Grotto in Gyeongju, a National Treasure, the slope along the access road from the parking lot was washed away. At the Daeungjeon Hall of Yulgoksa Temple in Sancheong, a Treasure, part of the hall’s wall and one adjacent building were partially damaged due to a landslide. At the Daeungjeon Hall of Gaesimsa Temple in Seosan, also a Treasure, soil runoff was confirmed within the temple grounds.

Due to climate change, both the frequency and intensity of torrential rains are increasing, and as a result, damage to national heritage sites is occurring repeatedly. In the past, Typhoon Hinnamnor alone caused damage to 34 national heritage sites, including Seokguram and Bulguksa Temple.

Because the ground has been weakened by the recent torrential rains, there is a high possibility of additional damage to national heritage sites from ground subsidence or landslides if a typhoon occurs in the future. Therefore, urgent repairs, inspections, and other safety measures are needed immediately.

The annual budget for the National Heritage Emergency Repair Project is usually in the 4 billion won range, and this year, 4.5 billion won was allocated. The problem is that, in order to minimize further damage, repairs to the damaged national heritage sites must be carried out quickly, but with no remaining budget, prompt restoration is expected to be difficult.

In March, a record-breaking large-scale wildfire caused significant damage to national heritage sites, and 2,770,200,000 won was spent on repairs at that time.

On July 23, Seungsu Kim met with Heo Min, Commissioner of the National Heritage Administration, and urged the administration to use all available personnel and budget to conduct emergency inspections of major national heritage sites in vulnerable areas and to take prompt emergency measures. Commissioner Heo also expressed strong agreement on the seriousness of the damage to national heritage sites and the need to secure restoration funds and implement emergency measures.

Seungsu Kim pointed out, "Damage to national heritage sites is occurring repeatedly not only due to torrential rains from climate change, but also from natural disasters such as earthquakes and wildfires. With the ground weakened by the recent torrential rains and concerns about further soil runoff, there is a risk that national heritage sites could be lost entirely if typhoons or additional torrential rains occur."

He added, "The National Heritage Administration must work closely with financial authorities to secure sufficient funds, ensure that restoration projects proceed without delay, and make every effort to prevent secondary and tertiary damage."

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