Rural areas still buried under frozen heavy snow

[Anchor]

The urban areas that suffered from heavy snowfall are gradually returning to normal thanks to snow removal efforts.

However, some rural villages are facing a different situation.

Reporter Kim So-young has covered the bleak situation of rural areas where collapsed barns and greenhouses have no clear timeline for recovery.

[Report]

This is a barn that raises about 250 cattle.

Snow is still piled up from temperatures dropping below freezing after the heavy snowfall.

The roof of the feed storage has collapsed, and the ceiling of the cattle barn is tilted, but recovery has not even begun.

[Lee Sang-jin/Farmer: "Even if we want to repair it, there is no space to move the livestock because they are all inside, and for the time being, there is no way to do anything."]

This is a ginseng field that has collapsed under the weight of the accumulated snow.

The situation is similar for other farms.

The large plastic greenhouses remain in a damaged state, as farmers do not know where to start the repairs.

Farmers are struggling to secure manpower for recovery, and the cost of demolition, which amounts to tens of millions of won, is a significant burden.

Additionally, the accumulated snow has not melted, posing a risk of further collapses, making it difficult to carry out full-scale recovery operations.

[Ban Joo-hyun/Director of Agricultural Policy, North Chungcheong Province/Yesterday: "The number of damage reports is continuously increasing. Demolitions of facilities need to take place after a certain level of safety is secured."]

For now, efforts are focused on snow removal from the roads to ensure smooth traffic.

Even with the mobilization of large machinery, there is no end to the snow removal process.

[Kwon O-min/Mayor of Samsung-myeon, Eumseong-gun, North Chungcheong Province: "The wet snow is very heavy, making it impossible to clear it with human labor, so we are currently using heavy machinery to remove the snow."]

As the cold weather continues after the heavy snowfall, concerns of the affected residents are growing regarding when their facilities will be restored.

This is KBS News, Kim So-young.