Muan County, located in the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, is set to implement large-scale disaster prevention projects in the Yongwol and Samcheong areas, which experienced flooding last year.
On September 16, Muan County announced that the Yongwol and Samcheong areas have been selected for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's '2027 Comprehensive Disaster Prevention Project,' securing 23.1 billion won (approximately $17.3 million) in national funding.
The total project cost for the two areas will amount to 46.3 billion won (about $38.5 million), with comprehensive plans for river and stream maintenance, installation of drainage pump stations, and improvement of drainage systems to be carried out from 2027 to 2031.
This project selection aims to fundamentally address disaster risk factors in areas affected by flooding during heavy rainfall in 2025.
Notably, Muan County has been actively pursuing feasibility studies and securing national funding under the leadership of Na Jae-cheol, the head of the Safety Management Division, since the flooding incident.
The county conducted feasibility studies to include the Yongwol and Samcheong areas in the government's disaster prevention projects and submitted a budget request in March. The simultaneous inclusion of both areas in the final project list has resulted in the acquisition of 23.1 billion won in national funding.
The Comprehensive Disaster Prevention Project moves away from individual maintenance of rivers and drainage facilities, focusing instead on a holistic improvement of disaster risk factors centered around living areas.
Once the projects in the Yongwol and Samcheong areas are completed, the county anticipates a reduction in the risk of recurring flooding and an enhancement of local disaster response capabilities against extreme weather events.
Muan County plans to gradually expand disaster prevention infrastructure in habitual flooding areas, including Muan-eup, by linking the ongoing flood prevention projects with the new initiatives.
Na Jae-cheol stated, "The simultaneous selection of the Yongwol and Samcheong areas, which suffered significant flooding in 2025, lays the groundwork for reducing the flood risks that residents have repeatedly faced. We will ensure that the entire process, from design to construction, is meticulously managed so that residents can truly feel safe."
He added, "We will diligently advance both the ongoing Muan area project and the Yongwol and Samcheong area project to protect residents' lives and property from natural disasters such as heavy rainfall and typhoons."
Separately, Muan County is also pursuing the 'Muan Area Comprehensive Disaster Prevention Project,' with a total project cost of 49.7 billion won (including 24.8 billion won in national funding). When combined with the new projects in Yongwol and Samcheong, the total scale of the disaster prevention projects in the Muan area reaches 96 billion won. The county plans to manage the schedules for each project while gradually improving drainage and disaster prevention facilities in habitual flooding areas.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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