Governor Choo Visits Gwangmyeong Riverside Village, Vows to Seek Support Measures for Vulnerable Groups

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae visited the riverside residential area in Sohadong, Gwangmyeong City on the morning of July 14 to check residents' cooling conditions and health status, as well as to inspect the on-site response system for heat waves and torrential rains.

The Sohadong riverside residential area is a cluster of old homes adjacent to the embankment of Anyangcheon, where nine households comprising 13 people currently reside.

Governor Choo stated, "Climate crisis inflicts more direct and severe damage on socially vulnerable groups, so I came to inspect the on-site situation." She added, "Gyeonggi Province offers a climate insurance plan accessible to all residents, and in addition, I will discuss with Gwangmyeong City and the central government additional support measures such as using special grants for households facing individual livelihood crises."

She particularly emphasized, "Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) has plans for a road construction project that will pass through this area. If implemented, residents will once again have nowhere to go, putting their right to housing at risk. I will hold close discussions with Gwangmyeong City to see if appropriate measures can be put in place to protect residents' housing rights," she promised.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae is seen talking with residents on the morning of the 14th at the embankment residential area in Sohadong, Gwangmyeong City. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

She also expressed her determination by saying, "The provincial government must always pay close attention to each and every resident. My goal for administration is to visit as often as possible so that residents do not lose courage; I will continue on-site visits going forward."

Meanwhile, on July 12, Gyeonggi Province raised its heat wave crisis alert to the highest “serious” level and activated this year’s first Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. The province operates about 8,700 cooling centers and 21,929 shade structures, while conducting outreach to vulnerable groups with disaster helpers and running water spraying trucks.

Furthermore, a total of 6.8 billion won is being allocated, including 2.44 billion won from the Disaster Management Fund, 2.2 billion won from the Disaster Relief Fund, and 2.16 billion won from special grants. These funds are being used to expand heat mitigation facilities such as shade structures, cooling fog systems, and mobile worker shelters, and to provide cooling and preventive supplies to vulnerable individuals and workers at small construction sites.

In particular, through the "Gyeonggi Climate Insurance"—which all Gyeonggi residents can benefit from without a separate registration process—the province is providing support for expenses such as heat-related illness diagnosis and emergency room visits, thereby operating a comprehensive protection system that covers prevention through to recovery. As of July 13, out of a total of 149 payments made this year, 25 cases were for heat-related illnesses (17 were diagnosis expenses, and 8 were emergency room visit expenses).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.