President Lee urges no efforts be spared helping victims of flooding

President Lee Jae Myung has once again urged officials to spare no effort in helping people affected by the recent downpours and designated six cities or counties as special disaster zones this evening.

Our presidential office correspondent Yoon Jung-min reports.

The day after returning to his office from a flood-hit area in the south, the President began Tuesday's Cabinet meeting by noting the suffering of the people from days of heavy rains and extreme heat.

"The faces of people there were void as they thought of their destroyed homes and lost family members. As the president in charge of state affairs, I will try to be more sensitive to the pain of each and every person."

He once again urged his Cabinet to spare no effort in helping those affected and searching for the missing, while speeding up the designation of special disaster zones.

The first to be designated for state funding were six cities or counties, including Gapyeong in Gyeonggi-do Province, Damyang in Jeollanam-do, and Sancheong in Gyeongsangnam-do.

Special grants of 5-and-a-half billion won, worth nearly 4-million U.S. dollars, will be used to help several regions recover, including Gwangju and Gyeongsangnam-do Province.

President Lee Jae Myung went on to urge his Cabinet to look for new approaches, which could involve leveraging technologies such as AI.

"I realized this time that existing methods, facilities, equipment, and countermeasures are no longer enough. I hope you newly reorganize fundamental measures."

This, as nine new Cabinet members attended the meeting, including ministers in charge of finance, labor, and safety, signaling the start of a full-fledged new government.

"Our economy faces very tough conditions. In the short term, we need to revive the livelihoods of the people and respond to tariff negotiations with the U.S. In the longer term, we should build the "real" Republic of Korea, "real" growth."

Another focus was on minimizing industrial accidents, for which the Cabinet approved a revised law to disclose the builders if any such accidents occur at construction sites.

In clear reflection of daunting tasks ahead, the President asked his new Cabinet to be mindful of the work they do, calling them a "touchstone" for the future that greatly affects the lives of every person in the country.

Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News.