President Lee Jae-myung urged local leaders on July 21 to concentrate all available resources on summer disaster preparedness. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House, he emphasized, "Above all, resident safety is paramount."
President Lee noted, "So far, the response to the monsoon has been very effective. Thanks to the efforts of public officials and various departments, casualties have been minimized, and responses appear to be swift." He added, "Please continue to maintain vigilance in your responses."
He also warned that extreme heat would follow the monsoon, stating, "Vulnerable populations who struggle to access cooling facilities will suffer greatly due to tropical nights." He instructed officials to consider extending the operating hours of cooling centers, which are currently limited to daytime hours, during the heatwave.
Furthermore, he stressed the need for comprehensive safety management in vulnerable areas, mentioning regions such as Andong and Uiseong in North Gyeongsang Province, Seocheon in South Chungcheong Province, and Goyang in Gyeonggi Province, which have experienced flooding again this year. He urged for expedited recovery efforts in these areas.
President Lee highlighted that statistics show this year has seen the highest completion rate of disaster recovery projects before the monsoon in the past decade, with 93.7% completed before the onset of the rains. He suggested that public officials who contributed to this record-breaking achievement should be recognized and rewarded.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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