Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae Visits Embankment Settlement to Check on Heat Vulnerability and Living Conditions

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae visited the embankment settlement in Soha-dong, Gwangmyeong City on the morning of the 14th to inspect on-site response systems in preparation for extreme heat and heavy rainfall.

The Soha-dong embankment settlement is a densely packed area of aging housing adjacent to the Anyang River embankment, with 9 households and 13 residents currently residing there.

Governor Choo visited residents' homes in the embankment settlement to inquire about cooling conditions and health status, examining their difficulties.

Residents raised concerns, stating "the embankment settlement is in a low-lying area so drainage is poor," and "trucks park in the surrounding area, making it noisy and creating a lot of dust."

After completing her visit, Governor Choo said, "I came to inspect the on-site situation because the climate crisis directly inflicts greater damage on socially vulnerable groups," and added, "Gyeonggi Province has a climate insurance that any province residents can benefit from. In addition to this, I will consult with Gwangmyeong City and the government on individual livelihood crisis household support measures through special grants."

Governor Choo particularly emphasized that the Korea Land and Housing Organization (LH) has plans to construct a road passing through the embankment settlement, stating, "If the project is implemented, residents here will have nowhere to go and urgent measures are needed to secure their housing rights. I will consult closely with Gwangmyeong City to examine whether appropriate housing rights protection measures can be established."

She also stated, "The provincial administration must always show interest and attention to each and every resident. The goal of administration is to visit as frequently as possible so that residents do not lose courage," expressing her commitment to continue on-site visits.