Nearly 600 deployed to flood zones for community service

Community service workers urgently deployed to flood-hit sites. (Ministry of Justice)

Nearly 600 offenders sentenced to community service were dispatched to flood-stricken regions across South Korea this week to support recovery efforts, the Ministry of Justice said Friday.

Between Monday and Thursday, a total of 594 workers were sent to the hardest-hit provinces, including Gyeonggi, South Chungcheong, South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang.

Heavy rain swept across the country from July 16-20, causing flooding confirmed to have killed 24 people as of Friday morning.

The four-day deployment followed a directive from newly appointed Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho, who on Sunday ordered the formation of a disaster recovery support team and instructed that community service participants be mobilized to assist flood-affected communities.

Their tasks included clearing mud from homes, cleaning flood-damaged belongings, and repairing collapsed greenhouses.

The Justice Ministry said this was not a one-off deployment and it plans to continue mobilizing community service participants for disaster relief and prevention efforts as needed.

“We will continue deploying community service workers to help residents return to normal life as soon as possible,” the ministry said in a statement. “They will also play an active role in flood prevention efforts, including removing debris from drainage systems.”

A community service order is a system that requires individuals found guilty of minor offenses, including those on probation, or juvenile offenders, to complete a set number of hours of unpaid work that benefits society.

The program aims to give offenders a chance to make amends for their actions through meaningful contributions to the society.