President declares special disaster zones

[Anchor]

President Lee Jae Myung has declared six regions severely affected by the recent heavy rain as special disaster areas.

He also ordered strict action against public officials who act irresponsibly—such as drinking and partying—during such critical situations.

Reporter Lee Hee-yeon has more.

[Report]

The six cities and counties declared special disaster zones are Gapyeong in Gyeonggi Province, Seosan and Yesan in South Chungcheong Province, Damyang in South Jeolla Province, and Sancheong and Hapcheon in South Gyeongsang Province.

President Lee stated that all administrative support must be provided to help residents return to normal life as quickly as possible, and urged that disaster-related procedures be expedited.

[President Lee Jae Myung: "The heartbreaking scenes I witnessed firsthand are still vivid in my mind."]

He also emphasized the need for clear accountability among public officials.

He called for identifying exemplary responses and strictly punishing those who act inappropriately during emergencies.

This was a pointed warning regarding the mayor of Guri City, who attended a leisure outing and engaged in drinking and dancing while under emergency duty during the recent heavy rain.

[President Lee Jae Myung: "Public officials who party or behave recklessly in such dire circumstances must be strictly disciplined."]

In relation to this, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok ordered a review of how local government officials responded to the heavy rain, including in Guri City and Sejong City, which failed to identify a missing person swept away by the current for 23 hours.

President Lee also stressed the need for fundamental reforms in disaster response systems, including the development of an AI-based system.

He further urged preemptive measures to protect the public from heat-related illnesses and rising prices following the heavy rain.

Today (7.22), cabinet ministers appointed by President Lee's administration attended a Cabinet meeting for the first time.

This is KBS News, Lee Hee-yeon.