Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung Visits Flood-Hit Tongyeong and Geoje, Pledges Review for Special Disaster Zone Designation

Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung visited Tongyeong and Geoje in South Gyeongsang Province, which suffered damage from record-breaking torrential downpours, to inspect the damage and recovery efforts, the ministry announced today (the 18th).

From the 15th to the 17th, extreme downpours dumped a cumulative 954.8 mm of rain on Geoje and 763.0 mm on Tongyeong, causing landslides and the flooding of homes and roads.

Minister Yun visited the flooded underground parking lot of Ilseong Yusu-an Apartment in Tongyeong and Samdo Royal Mansion in Geoje, where a landslide occurred, to check emergency recovery operations and urged authorities to accelerate restoration efforts by deploying all available personnel and equipment.

Earlier, around 4:40 a.m. yesterday, a landslide at Samdo Royal Mansion sent mud and debris crashing into the first floor, leaving one resident dead and two others injured.

The government has provided 3 billion won in special allocation taxes and 40 million won in disaster relief project funds for emergency recovery and support for displaced residents at the affected sites.

At the scene, Tongyeong Mayor Kang Seok-ju requested, "In light of the severe damage, please declare Tongyeong a special disaster zone."

In response, Minister Yun stated, "We have begun preliminary damage inspections starting today," adding, "We will actively review the request to declare the area a special disaster zone."

He further added, "We will mobilize all available government personnel and resources to do our utmost for damage cleanup and recovery."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.