S. Korean gov't focuses on recovery from Gangwon-do Province wildfire

  • 5 years ago
이총리, "강원 산불 피해 지역 복구계획 세울 때 추경 반영도 검토"

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon has called on government ministries to do their utmost to help people affected by the wildfire last week in eastern Gangwon-do.
As those efforts continue, he says, a full plan for the region's recovery will be out by the end of this month.
Cha Sang-mi has more.
South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon convened a third meeting with related ministries Tuesday morning to look at ways to help people in Gangwon-do Province recover from last week's devastating wildfire.
"Over the last few days, the government has already drawn up special funds worth some 3-point-7 million U.S. dollars. Nearly 13 million dollars of donations have been registered as of Monday."
The PM also thanked over 4-thousand volunteers who are still on the ground helping the victims of the fire.
He also said both living and occupational measures must be addressed when helping the victims.
He said one-thousand-20 victims were still without a home, and 760 of these stayed in the temporary facilities set up after the fire.
The Prime Minister called on the local government to help victims find nearby public training institutes to stay at overnight.
As for restoring the damaged areas, the PM said a step-by-step approach is needed and a full restoration plan will be out by the end of this month, prepared by each related ministry.
He also called on the ministers to not hesitate to consider additional budgets for the restoration project, including forestry and the prevention of landslides.
Lastly, the PM pointed out the need for making up for any weak points in policy -- adding more helicopters that can fly at night, and preparing the nation to be able to respond better to disasters.
He added all the fires have been put out, but the situation is still being closely monitored, as he himself made his way to Sokcho, one of the sites of the fire.
Cha Sang-mi, Arirang News.

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