Government Declares Geoje and Tongyeong Special Disaster Zones Over Heavy Rain Damage

[Anchor]

The government has designated Geoje and Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province, which suffered severe damage from extreme torrential rains, as special disaster zones. National funds will be additionally provided for disaster recovery, and affected residents can receive deferrals on certain taxes.

Reporter Yoo Soo-Hwan has the details.

[Reporter]

President Lee Jae-myung has declared Geoje, along with Sanyang-eup and Bongpyeong-dong in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, as special disaster zones following the heavy downpours that recently battered the southern region.

Kang Yu-jung, senior presidential spokesperson, released a written briefing containing this information, stating, "The government is making every effort for swift damage cleanup and recovery by mobilizing all available personnel and resources."

She added, "We also plan to review the additional declaration of special disaster zones after conducting thorough inspections for damaged areas that were not designated this time, provided they meet the criteria."

When an area is designated as a special disaster zone, additional national funds required for disaster recovery are provided.

In addition, affected residents can receive tax deferrals for national and local taxes, as well as partial reductions on public utility fees.

From the 15th to the 18th, heavy rainfall poured down on South Gyeongsang Province, reaching 956 mm in Geoje and 766 mm in Tongyeong.

The heavy rain also caused casualties, leaving one person dead and two injured in Geoje.

Meanwhile, the Korea Forest Service classified the landslide-like soil collapse that hit an apartment complex in Geoje as an artificial "slope failure" rather than a natural landslide, leaving residents to handle the recovery on their own.

The city of Geoje stated that it is reviewing recovery support measures at the local government level.

(Video Editing: Kim Yoon-sung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.