Yoon visits wildfire-hit region, vows support for recovery

Mar 16, 2022, 09:30 am

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President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol arrives at Uljin Airport in North Gyeongsang Province on March 15, 2022, to visit residents suffering from the damage caused by the wildfire in the region./ Source: Joint Press Corps

AsiaToday reporter Lee Yoo-jin

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol traveled to the eastern coastal county of Uljin on Tuesday to meet residents suffering from the damage caused by the massive wildfire in the region. This is his second public outing as the president-elect following his visit to Seoul’s Namdaemun Market Monday to meet small merchants hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, apparently aimed at expressing his willingness to focus on the livelihood of the people.

The president-elect stressed the need for swift construction resumption of two nuclear reactors in Uljin – Shin-Hanul No. 3 and No. 4 – for the region’s economy. He flew by Air Force 2 Helicopter to the wildfire-hit region in Gumseong-ri, Uljin County, about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul. He visited the region for the second time after the first on March 4 when the wildfire broke out.

During the meeting with the residents, Yoon said, “In order to stimulate the local economy, I will resume the construction of Shin-Hanul No. 3 and No. 4 as soon as possible so that more people can work.” He said he will speed up the construction of the reactors once he takes office as one of his pledges was resumption of the reactors.

The construction plan for Shin-Hanul No. 3 and No. 4, which were originally slated to go into action early this year and next year, respectively, has been halted since the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in government. The Shin Hanul No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear reactors are expected to start operation one after another this fall, five years later than originally planned due to the Moon government’s nuclear phase-out drive.

Yoon inspected the damage from the blaze and was briefed by Choi Byeong-am, head of the Korea Forest Service (KFS). “We mobilized all resources to defend the nuclear power plant on the first day. As a result, many residents in the region suffered damage,” Choi said. Yoon called for restoring the woodlands and preventing landslides as well as ashes from contaminating the river water.

Yoon also met with displaced people and promised state support. “We will cooperate with the current government, and once the new administration launches in May, we will take better care of it so as to ensure there are no inconvenience to residents,” Yoon said. “Don’t be too concerned.”

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President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol greets residents displaced due to wildfires during his visit to Gumseong-ri, Uljin County, North Gyeongsang Province, on March 15, 2022./ Source: Joint Press Corps