GNP calls for emergency action; DP slams Seoul’s ‘neglect’ of safety duties


Amid the record-breaking flood damage in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, political parties cancelled most of their parliamentary schedules and focused on aid measures and victims’ relief activities.

The Grand National Party was especially tense as Seocho-gu and Gangseo-gu, the two districts hardest hit, are both represented by its party members.

The opposition camp urged thorough restorative measures and accused the Seoul Metropolitan Government of neglecting its management duties.

GNP Chairman Rep. Hong Joon-pyo visited the Raemian Art Hill apartments in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, which was hit by the massive landslide from the neighboring Mount Umyeon on Wednesday morning.

He then moved to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in the government complex in Jongno-gu to check the progress of the restorative measures.

The party’s floor leader Rep. Hwang Woo-yea paid respects at the joint memorial altar of the Inha University students who were killed by the rain-caused landslide in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, during their volunteer activity camp, officials said.

Secretary-general Kim Chung-kwon and former party chairman Chung Mong-joon also went to inspect the Mount Umyeon area. Chung is also the district representative of Dongjak-gu, located next to Seocho-gu.

“We have organized emergency task forces in nearby party offices to respond to further damage,” Kim said.

Rep. Koh Seung-duk of Seocho-gu also dropped his pending role as member of the parliamentary savings banks investigation committee, and rushed to his constituency to check the damage.

The opposition camp also busied itself working out flood countermeasures.

Party chairman Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu visited a rehabilitation center in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday and then areas in Chuncheon, where 10 died and 25 were injured.

“The top priority is to conduct the most thorough safety inspection as the rain-soaked ground is highly vulnerable to further damage,” Sohn said during his earlier visit to the CDSCH.

“Attention is also required against secondary accidents such as electrocution.”

He also slammed the metropolitan government and the district office for neglecting their management duties.

“We may not just blame the unexpected heavy downfalls for these devastating results,” he said. “Many Umyeon-dong residents informed me that the district office made excessive changes to the natural environment without sufficient consideration on the safety.”

Sohn, in a party meeting of high-ranking officials earlier in the morning, also mounted a direct attack at the Lee Myung-bak administration.

“We have no plans to make political use of this disaster and will offer our full cooperation to the government in restoring the damages,” he said.

“I nevertheless cannot help but thinking that the Lee Myung-bak administration and Mayor Oh Se-hoon are highly insensitive to the dangers of natural disasters.”

The party’s floor leader Kim Jin-pyo also went to the Han River Flood Control Service in Banpo-dong and inspected the river’s water level and the amount of water discharged from dams in the upper stream, officials said.

Kim also blamed the metropolitan government for achieving little since floods last summer Gwanghwamun area in central Seoul was hit.

“Mayor Oh greatly reduced the city’s flood damage prevention budget and allocated a large part of it to sleek projects such as Design Seoul,” said a DP spokesperson in a statement.

The flood management budget, which was 64.1 billion won ($61 million) before Oh took office, decreased from 48.2 billion won in 2006 to a mere 4 billion won this year, he said.

“Oh should redesign his thoughts and attitude and realize that his true role is to protect the life and properties of the Seoul citizens,” the spokesperson said.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)