SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung told public officials on Tuesday to “spare no effort” in the search for missing people and on damage recovery after days of torrential rains left a trail of destruction in various parts of the country.
The wet weather has now subsided, though media reports said heavy rainfall was drenching parts of North Korea.
Some 19 people have died and nine were still missing in South Korea as of Tuesday morning, while 2,549 people remained displaced, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.
Damage to property was extensive with some 3,776 facilities, including homes, shops and factories needing to be cleared of water, debris and earth, it said.
Noting the limitations of existing methods in coping with last week’s rain, Lee ordered the prime minister and all related ministries to establish a comprehensive response system for natural disasters by region and type.
Lee also told a cabinet meeting to “strictly crack down on mindless public officials who enjoy dancing and drinking at.. locations where people are dying.”
The president’s approval rating fell to 62.2% from 64.6% previously according to pollster Realmeter, in a survey conducted last week during the torrential rains.
Lee, who took office in June, has promised to make the country safer and to prevent any repeat of the disasters in recent years that have often been blamed on the inadequate response by authorities.
(Reporting by Joyce LeeEditing by Ed Davies)
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