'Prolonged Middle East Crisis'... Jangseong County Operates Emergency Task Force

On April 14, Jangseong County in South Jeolla Province announced that it had held a "Crisis Management Response Briefing by Department in Response to the Prolonged Middle East Crisis" to review the progress of various measures aimed at stabilizing public livelihoods.

At the briefing, which took place in the county office's situation room, Deputy County Governor Sim Woojeong and department heads attended to refine response strategies and establish detailed implementation plans.

Businesses are the first to be affected by situations such as the outbreak of war in the Middle East and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. In Jangseong, a total of seven companies export cosmetics, telecommunications equipment and components, as well as electronic devices to the Middle East. To date, these companies have reported damages such as increased logistics costs and transportation delays.

In response, Jangseong County operates an "Emergency Economic Response Task Force (TF Team)" to continuously monitor the damage situation faced by local companies and to flexibly address various difficulties as they arise. The county also coordinates with relevant agencies to ensure appropriate support can be provided when necessary. Furthermore, the task force oversees the overall implementation of Jangseong County's crisis management measures.

Emergency support is also being provided to vulnerable residents. Households receiving basic livelihood benefits are given 50,000 won each as living expenses. Starting next month, the county will launch the "Just Dream Pilot Project," which provides food support up to 20,000 won per household per occasion.

Efforts are also underway to minimize inconvenience for residents. In March, Jangseong County already secured the required supply of pay-as-you-throw garbage bags for this year. For two rural public bathhouses (Bugi and Samseo), which have faced increased operational burdens due to rising international oil and gas prices, the county will provide 2.1 million won each in emergency operating funds allocated from South Jeolla Province's reserve budget.

To assist farmers expected to face management difficulties due to rising prices of fertilizer and animal feed, the county is operating a "Farm Supply Stabilization Situation Room" and is providing support such as connecting livestock farms with feed purchase loans and interest subsidies. The county also plans to request budgetary support from the provincial and central governments for initiatives such as packaging material support for farmers supplying local food stores, film purchase subsidies for facility horticulture farms, and free provision of liquid fertilizer for forest products cultivation—measures that have garnered significant interest from the local agricultural community.

In the medical sector, the county is urging local medical institutions to proactively stockpile medical consumables such as syringes and needles in anticipation of supply shortages, and is also considering requesting support from government reserves.

In addition, to promote energy conservation, Jangseong County will implement an "even-odd car operation system for public institution vehicles" and a "five-day rotation system for public parking lots," while encouraging voluntary participation from residents.

Deputy County Governor Sim Woojeong stated, "We will thoroughly prepare by identifying risk factors in the field in advance and establishing feasible responses," adding, "I instruct all departments to focus on swift budget execution and on-site inspections so that our efforts will lead to tangible results for the residents."

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