Earthquake Assistance

[Anchor Lead]

The 5.4 magnitude earthquake that rocked Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province earlier this month has racked up over 99 billion won in damages. The Central Disaster and Safety Headquarters has devised measures to help quake victims, which include the provision of financial aid worth 28 billion won toward repairing schools and their facilities.

[Pkg]

The Pohang city government's survey shows that monetary damages from the recent earthquake amount to 99-point-four billion won. The total number of injured stands at 91, of which nine are still hospitalized. Having been displaced from their homes, roughly 1,200 people are taking shelter at schools and welfare facilities. A second round of assistance will be provided to Pohang, which is still suffering from the earthquake two weeks ago. The Central Disaster and Safety Headquarters will spend a total of 28 billion won to repair schools and their facilities which were hit hard by the quake. It will also quickly carry out a project to introduce earthquake-resistant reinforcements to 144 schools in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, Daegu and Ulsan.

[Soundbite] Jeong Jong-je(Central Disaster and Safety Headquarters) : "We are revising a law on granting local special education subsidies in order to actively invest in earthquake-resistant reinforcement projects."

Special disaster grants of four billion won will be provided to repair public facilities in Pohang. Given the soaring demand for housing, the government will work to increase rental units. It also wants to extend the lease period of rental houses provided by the state-run Korea Land and Housing Corporation. Multi-family houses that are deemed safety risks will be allowed to push for reconstruction with local governments. They can participate as project operators, even if no reconstruction committees or unions are established. Additionally, mental health consultation services will continue to be provided to earthquake victims.