Korea names 13 areas hit by heavy rain as special disaster zones

A resident explains the damage during heavy rainfall in a village in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, which the government declared as a special disaster area on July 19. [Photo by Yonhap]

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday declared 13 local governments, including Yecheon County in North Gyeongsang Province and Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province, as special disaster areas as they have been hit hard by the heavy rainfall.

“We declared the areas as special disaster zones starting with the regions where preliminary assessments have been completed to expedite the return of those affected to their daily lives,” said Lee Do-woon, spokesperson for the presidential office.

Following the declaration, the 13 local autonomous entities will receive 12 additional support measures, including reductions in health insurance premiums and electricity fees.

They will also receive 18 benefits for general disaster areas, such as exceptions for national and local tax payments and reductions in public utility fees.

The local governments declared as special disaster areas will receive additional financial support from the central government for part of the local financial burden in their recovery efforts. The residents affected by the rain will be supported indirectly with disaster relief funds and receive exemptions from national and local tax payments and reductions in public utility fees.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety requested local governments to actively pursue measures to alleviate the burden on affected residents, including postponing or extending deadlines for local tax collection and reductions in local taxes.

Local government heads can delay the collection of property taxes and acquisition taxes for affected residents for up to one year. Special disaster areas can extend these measures for up to two years.

The Central Safety Measures Headquarters, in the meantime, confirmed a total of 50 casualties due to the heavy rain. Search operations for missing persons continue in Yecheon County, where significant damage and landslides occurred.

According to the headquarters, a total of 16,514 evacuees from 111 cities, countries, and districts were reported as of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, with around 7,800 people yet to return home. The total area of farmland affected by flooding was estimated at 32,894 hectares.

The police has decided to replace the special investigative team responsible for the Osong underground flooding accident that claimed the lives of 14 people. The decision comes in response to growing controversy surrounding the police agency’s response to emergency calls related to the heavy rainfall.