NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has vowed to employ all possible fiscal means to help flood-hit regions. As part the efforts, it will offer tax exemptions and deferrals for flood victims. The ministry also asked local governments to spend monetary reserves and disaster management funds to proactively support emergency recovery efforts.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters has pledged to take comprehensive quarantine measures to manage both the coronavirus and water-borne diseases in summer. Those include keeping emergency medical systems operating during the vacation season and conducting tighter hygienic checks on temporary housing facilities. The headquarters will also strengthen anti-epidemic measures on cafes and coffee shops, which recently emerged as a new spreader of the coronavirus.
North Korea's state news agency reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered special aid to the city of Kaesong, which is under lockdown over coronavirus concerns. After receiving a briefing about the anti-epidemic work and the situation in Kaesong, Kim ordered the special supply of food and government subsidies to the city to stabilize the living of its citizens. ON July 24, the regime placce Kaesong on total lockdown, insisting that a "runaway" defector suspected of COVID-19 infection recently came back from South Korea.