Seoul Metropolitan Council Speaker Im Man-gyun made flood and storm preparedness his first official engagement after taking office.
On Wednesday afternoon, as the rainy season got underway across the country, Im visited the Seoul Metropolitan Government's disaster and safety control center, then proceeded to the semi-basement residential neighborhood in Sillim-dong and the Dorimcheon deep-level stormwater drainage tunnel construction site. He inspected readiness for wind and flood damage and called for thorough preparation against unexpected emergencies.
The visits were chosen as Im's first official destinations after taking office, reflecting his governing philosophy of putting citizen safety above all else. Seoul city officials, including the head of the Water Circulation and Safety Bureau, and Gwanak-gu District Mayor Park Jun-hee joined him at the sites.
Im first visited the disaster and safety control center inside City Hall, where he received a briefing on summer weather conditions and the city's comprehensive flood and storm response framework, and encouraged staff working emergency shifts.
"As climate change makes abnormal weather increasingly routine, the risk of unexpected disasters is growing," he said. "Since early response is above all critical in a disaster, please act swiftly and without gaps, with a sense of responsibility as the front line of citizen safety."
Im then moved to the Sillim-dong residential area, densely packed with semi-basement housing, where he personally inspected the operational status of flood barriers and manhole fall-prevention installations designed to protect low-lying areas from inundation.
He directed officials to build a hands-on, field-level response system to prevent flooding from recurring, and urged them to "do everything possible to protect the lives and property of citizens even if rainfall as record-breaking as that of 2022 strikes again."
At his final stop, the Dorimcheon deep-level stormwater drainage tunnel — a key facility for preventing flood damage in the urban core — Im called for the project to stay on track toward its scheduled January 2030 completion and for construction to proceed safely.
"The August 2022 flooding disaster in the Sillim-dong semi-basement homes left deep trauma on local residents," Im said. "The Seoul Metropolitan Council will focus all its efforts on airtight flood preparedness that puts the most disaster-vulnerable residents first, so that the tragedy of four years ago is never repeated."
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