Kim Dong-yeon: "I Will Recover Damage in the Fastest Time Through Special Procedures"

[Suwon Ilbo = Reporter Kim Gab-dong] Governor Kim Dong-yeon of Gyeonggi Province stated on December 2, "We will recover the damage in the fastest time through procedures and methods that transcend the province's conventional approach."

On the day, Governor Kim visited the heavy snow damage areas and inspected the factory collapse site in Bogae-myeon, Anseong-si, and the nearby livestock facility (poultry farm) that suffered complete structural failure. He emphasized that he would request the central government to declare the areas as special disaster regions.

Regarding the declaration of special disaster areas, Governor Kim said, "Gyeonggi Province, along with parts of Pyeongtaek, Anseong, and Yongin, will apply for special disaster area designation." He added, "A bill submitted to the National Assembly last month would allow omitting the deliberation of the Central Safety Management Committee for special disaster area applications. We urge the National Assembly and government to process this quickly."

National Assembly member Yun Jong-gun of the Democratic Party, who accompanied the governor on the field visit, explained, "Regarding the special disaster area designation mentioned by the governor, about 40 Democratic Party members plan to propose this as a collective statement at the National Assembly press briefing today."

Regarding the "method that transcends conventional approaches," Governor Kim stated, "We have already used over 3 billion won in disaster funds as reserves, but if necessary, we will spend more to ensure swift recovery. Finances are meant to be used for such purposes," he added.

Governor Kim said, "Upon visiting the site, I discovered several blind spots that cannot be resolved by existing systems and institutions, such as issues where farmers are not covered by insurance, and cases where poultry farmers must bear the costs invested thus far and feed expenses themselves. In this case, Gyeonggi Province will prioritize resolving these blind spots through special methods rather than conventional ones and will do our best to develop institutional improvement measures together."

Governor Kim particularly emphasized, "This heavy snowfall stems from climate change and climate crisis. As the sea surface temperature of the West Sea rises, wet snow has created a significantly heavier snow load. There is a high possibility that such events will become routine in the future. Gyeonggi Province has been actively responding to the climate crisis. Going forward, it is necessary for the central government and the nation to approach the climate crisis with greater urgency and respond very actively."

Anseong Mayor Kim Bo-ra, who accompanied the visit, expressed gratitude, saying, "For practical assistance to the affected residents, Gyeonggi Province and the central government must take the lead. Since the damage occurred not long ago, the governor's personal visit and attention are giving us officials the strength to proceed with recovery in an even faster manner."

Earlier, at his first destination—the site of completely destroyed vinyl greenhouses in Habuk-ri, Jinwi-myeon, Pyeongtaek-si—Governor Kim requested the central government to declare the area as a special disaster region and expressed his commitment to having the province and city take the fastest possible measures to support recovery. Even if special disaster area designation is granted, time will be required, so the province and city will explore and implement the fastest available methods.

As Governor Kim inspected the vinyl greenhouses where cherry tomato cultivation was completely destroyed by the heavy snow, he said, "What is most needed is swift action to recover from the damage. We will consider using not only disaster relief funds but also reserve funds and will work with the city to take the fastest possible actions available to the province. We will also request the central government to designate special disaster areas together with the city."

Meanwhile, Governor Kim's field visit on this day regarding the heavy snowfall marks the third such visit, following November 28 at the Dokkaebi Market in Uiwang-si and November 29 at the Agricultural and Marine Products Wholesale Market in Anyang-si. This is interpreted as demonstrating his determination to take direct command, listen to voices from affected areas, identify institutional blind spots, and prepare preemptive measures.