I didn’t think that as soon as I decided to make this post with a summary of the most important things in Korea today I would have to make a part 2, but that’s how it happened!! In the week that is ending, Korea experienced one of the worst natural disasters that the country has had to endure and the consequences will be long-term, in addition to inflation, job losses and the problems that the party in government is facing! ! So let’s begin…
1. On Monday, August 8, Tuesday, August 9, and Wednesday, August 10, severe rains affected Seoul and other nearby provinces, causing deaths, disappearances, injuries, and displacement.
Sixteen people, as of August 10, have been confirmed dead or missing and more than 2,500 houses and buildings were flooded in this week’s 80-year record rain that hit Seoul and other parts of the central and eastern regions, officials said. on Wednesday. Seoul, Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi and Gangwon recorded torrential rains that resulted in the collapse of drainage systems, flooding of subway stations and streets; landslides, road closures and even the death of 3 women, all of them from the same family, in their house that was located in the basement of a building. It has been confirmed until this August 12, the death of 11 people in other accidents caused by the rain, there were also about 16 missing and 17 injured. Many of the cars parked on the streets and those that were in underground parking lots were total losses, which will seriously affect insurance companies that are already facing problems due to the pandemic. A total of 2,676 houses and buildings were flooded, most of them in Seoul, the city with the largest number of inhabitants in high-rise buildings that very surely do not make an easy task for any drainage system, no matter how efficient it may be!
The train service and several subway stations had to interrupt their services due to the impossibility of using the tracks, at least the subway started working again on Wednesday morning. Almost 800 people were taken from their homes and taken to gyms and schools to keep them safe since their houses are at serious risk because they are located in low-lying areas of cities, it must be remembered that in many areas on the banks of Seoul, houses They are located on the slopes of hills that border on wooded areas and the price of housing forces many people to live in the basements of buildings. Damage was visibly heavy in the southern Seoul districts of Dongjak, Seocho and Gangnam, where the terrain is lower than the rest of the city. On Tuesday morning, when the rain briefly stopped for a few hours, the floodwaters of rainwater on the areas’ roads drained away, revealing empty, abandoned vehicles strewn across the streets and sidewalks. Drivers trapped by floodwaters the day before had to leave their cars and evacuate. Some of the wrecked vehicles blocked cars and buses on Tuesday morning, causing traffic jams. In a landslide on a mountainous road in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, an SUV was swallowed by a sudden landslide. Rescuers found the driver dead at the scene and transported two survivors to a hospital. An employee checking a fallen tree on a street in Seoul, was electrocuted
Bridges, highways and roads were paralyzed as the disaster created sinkholes, submerging and dragging them along with piles of debris from trees, mud, rocks and other broken infrastructure materials. And now?? Some of the things that will have to change!! The Seoul city government will no longer give permission to build basement or semi-basement houses, as it pushes to phase out existing underground houses, officials said Wednesday. As of 2020, five percent, or 200,000, of the total homes in Seoul were in basements or semi-basements. The city plans to instruct them not to issue construction permits for underground homes until the planned revision of the Construction Law, it is planned. provide a grace period of up to 20 years for owners of existing homes in basements or crawl spaces to divert them to non-residential uses. In exchange, the city will provide incentives to homeowners, such as renovation grants, or purchase their underground properties to turn into communal repositories or community facilities.
Landslide hazards have been intensifying across the country, on land affected by reckless land development. The previous Moon Jae-in administration deserves criticism for razing large swathes of mountainsides in a rush to expand solar panel installations, thus exposing many areas to the danger of landslides. In addition, there were disasters in 2011 and 2015, due to which the drainage systems in Gangnam, the most expensive area in Seoul that is located in one of the lowest parts of the territory, were modernized, but as seen with these rains, that did not help. no problem!!
The KMA should redouble efforts to establish a better weather forecasting system suitable for the country soon. President Yoon’s administration must map out comprehensive measures to deal with the deterioration of climate change. He must make combined efforts with provincial and municipal authorities to implement an advanced water management system. There is a need for the government to redesign the anti-disaster system in the face of such abnormal and unpredictable weather conditions. The Water Reclamation Planning Division of the Water Circulation Safety Bureau of the Seoul city government said on Friday that they will first upgrade sewers in areas of the city most affected by the severe disaster. When underground sewage tunnels overflowed during torrential rains, causing the hydraulic pressure inside to intensify, breaking and even shooting cast iron manhole covers weighing around 40 kilograms into the air. On Monday, two brothers in their 40s and 50s died when they were swept away by strong water currents after falling into culvert holes that no longer had their covers.
Of course, the rains have also affected the territory of North Korea, in the capital, the ruling party asked farmers to be aware of the effects of rainfall and the overflow of rivers such as the Taedong, which crosses the capital, Pyonyang, and several riverside promenades in the capital flooded. I ask myself, why shouldn’t they first attack the causes instead of focusing on criticizing what is not being done right now? Of course it is correct to prevent, but maybe start by changing your consumption patterns, right? In Seoul in particular, a lot of garbage is generated by the packaging of home purchases, imported food purchases, clothing that is used in one season and is already “obsolete” the next, in addition to the tons of electronic waste that accumulates in their landfills and then is sent to other countries because there is no longer room to have it?? Until a few years ago, Koreans said they were proud because the different seasons of the year could still be clearly distinguished in the country, but come on, they are on planet earth and very close to Chinese industries, which are among the most polluting in the world. They cannot stay away from the effects of their own actions and those of their neighbors!!
Several Korean entertainment personalities have already made donations to aid organizations to alleviate a little the effects of the tragedy on the less fortunate.
UI donated 100 million won to the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association for the restoration of flood-damaged areas. Comedian Yoo Jae Suk donated W100 million to the Hope Bridge Association. The singer PSY donated W100 million to the Korean Red Cross. The actress Han Ji-min donated W50 million to the Community Chest of Korea to help disabled people. The actress Kim Go Eun he also donated W50 million to the Hope Bridge Association.
Kang Seung-yoon Y Kim Jin Woo of Winner donated W50 million and W10 million each
A-rin from the girl group Oh My Girl donated W20 million. the comedian Park Na Raetelevision personality Yoo Byungjae and the actresses Hong Soo Hyun Y Yoon Se-sh each donated W10 million
Inflation increases and jobs are lost, President Yoon pardons members of large conglomerates accused of corruption and embezzlement, to “overcome the serious economic crisis that is affecting Korea”
President Yoon Suk-yeol granted his first special pardons to Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong and other business tycoons to help “overcome the economic crisis” facing Korea. Lee Jae Young was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for bribing former president Park Geun-hye and her confidant to gain government support for a merger between two Samsung subsidiaries that would tighten his control over the empire. corporate. He is still facing a separate trial on accounting fraud charges related to the 2015 merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin, who was also involved in the corruption of former chairwoman Park Geun Hye, with the end win a tax-free deal; Dongkuk Steel Mill Chairman and CEO Chang Sae-joo and former STX Group Chairman Kang Duk-soo were among other business leaders pardoned on Monday, marking the 77th anniversary of Liberation Day. from the country. «With the urgent needs to overcome the national economic crisis, a number of entrepreneurs were carefully selected to lead economic growth through investment in technology and job creation«Justice Minister Han Dong Hoon said during a press conference in Seoul. It’s the same treatment that gave rise to the boom in the Korean economy in the 80’s (I think it was in those years), but how good is it to turn a blind eye to white collar criminals? Is this not impunity? Nearly 1,700 names on the pardon list include people with disabilities, small business owners and labor activists convicted of misdemeanors.
The leader of a religious sect is also released from prison
Lee Man-hee, 91, founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, was indicted two years ago for allegedly failing to report the number of Shincheonji followers and the locations of his temples to the government when the virus was spreading rapidly among his followers. followers. The high court also approved an appeals court decision to sentence Lee to three years in prison, discontinued for five years, after being found guilty of embezzlement of approximately $4.7 million and obstruction of public service. Some 4,000 members, most of them associated with the branch of this sect in Daegu, have tested positive for the infection, after in February 2020, one of its members became infected and continued to attend meetings held in small places where the people were crowding together. Lee Man Hee was accused of misleading health authorities about the size and locations of his religious association’s meetings, these deceptions and secrets were blamed for the massive increase in coronavirus cases in the country. And well, here’s my report! See you next time 😀 Credits The Korea Times
Veronica Troncoso
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