Seoul Metropolitan Council Speaker Im Man-gyun visits a below-ground residential area in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, on Wednesday. [Seoul Metropolitan Council]
Seoul Metropolitan Council Speaker Im Man-gyun visits a below-ground residential area in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, on Wednesday. [Seoul Metropolitan Council]

Seoul Metropolitan Council Speaker Im Man-gyun made flood and storm preparedness his first official priority after taking office.

On Wednesday afternoon, as the nationwide monsoon season got underway, Im visited the Seoul Metropolitan Government's disaster and safety operations center, then toured a below-ground housing area in Sillim-dong and the construction site of the Dorimcheon deep-tunnel stormwater drainage project. He inspected readiness for flood damage and called for thorough contingency measures.

The visits were chosen as Im's first official destinations after taking office, reflecting his governing philosophy of putting citizen safety above all else. Officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, including the head of the water circulation and safety bureau, as well as Gwanak-gu District Mayor Park Jun-hee, accompanied him.

"Early response is everything in a disaster, so please act swiftly and without gaps, with the sense of responsibility that comes from being on the front line of citizen safety," Im said. He also directed officials to build a field-based response system to prevent repeated flooding, adding, "Please do everything in your power to ensure that no lives are lost and no property is damaged, even if rainfall on the scale of 2022 strikes again."

At the Dorimcheon deep-tunnel stormwater drainage construction site — a key facility for preventing flood damage in the urban core — Im urged officials to keep the project on track for its scheduled completion in January 2030 and to ensure the work proceeds safely.


ikson@heraldcorp.com