Gyeonggi Province to Invest 311.65 Billion Won in Recovery from November Heavy Snowfall Damage

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gapdong] The Central Disaster Management Headquarters has confirmed that the total damage in Gyeonggi Province from heavy snowfall in November is 391.9 billion won, with recovery support fixed at 131.9 billion won.

Gyeonggi Province stated that it received notification of the heavy snowfall damage recovery plan containing this information from the Central Disaster Management Headquarters on the 20th, and notified 27 affected cities and counties (excluding Paju, Yangju, Dongducheon, and Yeoncheon) on the 29th.

The province explained that when combined with the emergency recovery support funds announced by the province and the government's recovery support funds this time, approximately 300 billion won in financial resources are expected to be invested in recovery from the heavy snowfall damage.

Of the 131.9 billion won in damage recovery support confirmed by the Central Disaster Management Headquarters, the national budget accounts for 98.8 billion won, provincial budget for 10.6 billion won, and city and county budgets for 22.5 billion won. Recovery allocations by city and county are as follows: Anseong 35.6 billion won, Pyeongtaek 24.9 billion won, Hwaseong 24.6 billion won, Yongin 15.1 billion won, Icheon 12.4 billion won, and Yeoju 5.9 billion won.

For recovery of public facility damage including waste disposal and securing snow removal agents, 30.5 billion won will be invested, while 101.4 billion won will be directed toward recovery of private facility damage including vinyl greenhouses (32.7 billion won) and livestock facilities (29.1 billion won).

Previously, on the 6th, Gyeonggi Province announced a fiscal support plan totaling 170.75 billion won to swiftly address the heavy snowfall damage, comprising disaster management funds (10.35 billion won), disaster relief funds (71.8 billion won), contingency reserves (5 billion won), special adjustment grants (1.6 billion won), disaster management special allocation tax (2 billion won), and loan support for small and medium enterprises and small business owners (80 billion won).

Subsequently, on the 18th, the province announced a plan to support nine cities and counties—Gwangju, Yangpyeong, Ansan, Uiwang, Osan, Siheung, Gunpo, Gwangmyeong, and Anyang—that suffered severe heavy snowfall damage but were excluded from special disaster zone designation, by investing 9 billion won from Gyeonggi Province's disaster management fund.

Accordingly, a total of 311.65 billion won—combining the 179.75 billion won announced by Gyeonggi Province and the 131.9 billion won confirmed by the Central Disaster Management Headquarters—is scheduled to be invested as recovery support funds for the heavy snowfall damage.

Meanwhile, from November 26 to 28, record-breaking heavy snowfall fell across Gyeonggi Province, centered on the southern regions, with 43.7 cm recorded in Gwangju and 43.1 cm in Gunpo. As a result, six cities—Anseong, Pyeongtaek, Hwaseong, Yongin, Icheon, and Yeoju—were declared special disaster zones.

Lee Jong-don, Director of the Safety Management Office, stated, "In response to this record-breaking heavy snowfall occurring for the first time in 117 years, with concentrated damage in small business and rural areas, we have rapidly established a recovery plan to ensure swift support and damage recovery for these regions," and added, "We will make efforts to ensure smooth financial support and help people return to their daily lives as quickly as possible."