Workers carry out restoration work in a flooded area of restaurants and shops near Donghaksa temple on Gyeryongsan in Banpo-myeon, Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, on Thursday, as heavy rain inundated the district. [Yonhap]
Workers carry out restoration work in a flooded area of restaurants and shops near Donghaksa temple on Gyeryongsan in Banpo-myeon, Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, on Thursday, as heavy rain inundated the district. [Yonhap]

The composition and scope of a unified support center providing integrated services — including survivor benefits, funeral costs, medical compensation and tax relief — will be formally defined to help disaster victims recover quickly and return to daily life. Detailed standards for a survey assessing victims' recovery levels will also be established.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety said Tuesday that the Cabinet approved an amendment to the enforcement decree of the Disaster and Safety Management Basic Act, which will take effect July 22.

Under the amendment, the composition and responsibilities of a "Central Joint Disaster Victim Support Center," where victims and their families can receive guidance on all available assistance in one place, have been formally specified.

Participating agencies will include relevant government ministries and local authorities, as well as electricity, telecommunications and city gas providers, the National Health Insurance Service, the National Pension Service and the Small Enterprise and Market Service, alongside other organizations offering emergency recovery, financial and insurance services.

The center will consolidate previously scattered services — survivor benefits, funeral expenses, medical cost compensation, psychological counseling referrals and tax support — allowing victims to receive prompt, systematic assistance on-site without visiting multiple agencies.

The amendment also establishes detailed standards for a "disaster recovery level survey" designed to track the difficulties victims face and monitor their progress in returning to everyday life after a disaster.

The National Disaster and Safety Research Institute's Disaster Recovery Research Center will conduct the survey annually, targeting victims of large-scale disasters through field visits, in-person interviews and telephone inquiries.

The survey will cover physical and mental health, economic conditions including housing and livelihoods, and victims' satisfaction with and awareness of support programs. The findings will be used to strengthen policies on psychological recovery, material and human resources, and livelihood stabilization.

"This amendment means disaster victims and bereaved families can receive practical support in one place instead of visiting multiple agencies separately," Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung said. "The government will continue to do its utmost to help citizens who have suffered sudden losses from disasters return to their daily lives as quickly as possible."


thlee@heraldcorp.com