Prime Minister Han Seong-sook emphasized today (July 3), ahead of the nationwide monsoon season, that "we must prepare based on the worst-case scenario, not just average years."

Prime Minister Han visited the situation room at the Han River Flood Control Office this morning (July 3) wearing a civil defense uniform to inspect the flood response system and made the remarks.

"In the era of the climate crisis, past experiences or data may not always be accurate," Prime Minister Han said. "Since these do not guarantee the future, it is better to over-prepare for disaster response than to fall short."

She continued, "We must act as one government. To prevent damage, flood forecasting, dam operations, on-site control, and evacuations must be organically linked," adding, "I ask that each agency faithfully carry out its assigned role while cooperating closely as a single response system."

Prime Minister Han added, "To prepare for this year's floods, we have secured a large volume of 'hidden water storage' such as dams and reservoirs, and have newly introduced urban flood forecasting, which will allow citizens in pilot project districts to check the flood risk of their current location directly." She further stated, "The government will not let its guard down until this monsoon season ends and will focus all its capabilities on protecting the lives and safety of the people."

Prime Minister Han also asked the public to "pay attention to disaster text alerts and flood forecasts and to cooperate actively."

(Photo: Yonhap News)