Farmland in Haenam, 333 kilometers south of Seoul, is submerged by heavy rain on July 17, 2023. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The government is considering establishing a standing organization comprising civilian experts to tackle extreme weather events, such as the recent deadly downpours, an official said Sunday.
The envisioned organization under the prime minister’s office is aimed at gathering ideas from experts outside of the government to come up with disaster response strategies at a time when such extreme weather events are becoming a “new normal,” the official said.
“It’s necessary not only for the government but for experts from the private sector, to deliberate on fundamental and long-term measures,” the official said in a call with Yonhap News Agency on customary condition of anonymity.
Earlier last week, President Yoon Suk Yeol called for a fundamental change to the country’s disaster response system, stressing that extreme weather events will continue in the future due to climate change.
Yoon said government officials must “tear down perceptions that we can’t help it” regarding extreme weather events, and urged for government-wide cooperation and experts’ participation in tackling natural disasters.
Torrential rains have battered the country since early this month, causing floods and landslides, and a total of 47 people have been killed, while three remain missing.
(Yonhap)
