On the morning of the 18th, People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok (center) and Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik visit a temporary shelter for flood victims at Okpo Elementary School in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, to listen to a briefing from a Korean Red Cross official. [Yonhap News] 

The People Power Party leadership visited the flood-stricken areas of Geoje and Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province on the 18th to assess the damage.

Leader Jang Dong-hyeok and Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik canceled their scheduled agendas for the day, including the 17th memorial service for former President Kim Dae-jung and the party's floor strategy meeting, and took the first flight from Gimpo Airport to the flood-affected region in South Gyeongsang Province.

They first visited an apartment complex in Okpo-dong that suffered significant damage. They were joined by party officials including Reps. Kim Tae-kyu, Seo Ji-young, Seo Cheon-ho, Choi Eun-seok, Kim Jang-kyum, and Park Jun-tae, as well as Park Sang-woong, chairman of the South Gyeongsang Provincial Party, and Rep. Seo Il-jun, whose constituency includes Geoje.

Record-breaking torrential rain during the Liberation Day holiday across the Geoje and Tongyeong regions resulted in one death and four injuries.

After inspecting the apartment complex in Okpo-dong and the surrounding roads, the leadership visited Okpo Elementary School, where a temporary shelter for residents has been set up, to assess the situation on the ground.

Having concluded their Geoje itinerary with a visit to a sinkhole site in Sangdong-dong, they are scheduled to head to other affected areas, including Tongyeong, in the afternoon. In Tongyeong, they plan to inspect areas including Sanyang-eup, where a landslide occurred, Yonghwasa Temple in Bongpyeong-dong, and the apartment district in Misu-dong.

Floor Leader Jeong, whose district covers Tongyeong and Goseong, wrote on Facebook that day, "In Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, the hardships faced by local residents, farmers, and fishermen are being compounded by a succession of natural disasters, following recent extreme heat waves and droughts, and now this torrential rain."

Floor Leader Jeong stated, "The suffering of Busan and South Gyeongsang is a national disaster," adding, "I strongly urge the government to comprehensively review the cumulative damage in the Busan and South Gyeongsang region caused by recent heat waves, droughts, and this heavy rain, and to prepare practical support measures, including the designation of special disaster zones."

Kim Seung-soo, the Senior Deputy Floor Leader, presided over a floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly that day and reiterated, "I offer my condolences to the casualties and displaced persons in the flood-affected areas and urge for swift recovery efforts, including the designation of special disaster zones."

Kim Mi-ae, the Senior Deputy Policy Floor Leader, also emphasized, "Based on a proactive damage assessment, areas that meet the requirements must be promptly designated (as special disaster zones) so that support measures that residents can tangibly feel, such as state funding and tax benefits, can be implemented immediately."

The People Power Party also pointed out that the government and the ruling party have not been playing a sufficient role regarding the recent flood damage on the southern coast.

Senior Floor Spokesperson Kim Tae-kyu said in a commentary that day, "A deluge hit the southern provinces. What did the Democratic Party do during those three days?" He added, "At the very moment when 200mm of rain was pouring down on Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, the Democratic Party's presidential candidates were holding microphones in that exact region. During the same period, what the Democratic Party's Legislation and Judiciary Committee members produced was not a flood countermeasure, but a statement calling for the impeachment of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court."

He continued his criticism by saying, "President Lee Jae-myung said during his 100th-day press conference that 'large-scale disasters mainly occur under so-called conservative regimes,'" adding, "The President himself is the one who turned even disasters into a way to blame the administration."

Jang Dong-hyeok visiting a temporary shelter in Geoje. Geoje=Yonhap News