Soonki Kwon, Gyeongnam Superintendent, Urgently Inspects Geoje Schools Damaged by Extreme Rainfall ... "Swift Restoration Before School Reopens"

Soonki Kwon, Superintendent of the Gyeongnam Office of Education, visited schools in the Geoje area that suffered flooding and other damage from extreme rainfall and pledged prompt restoration and support.

On the morning of August 17, after concluding an emergency meeting on heavy rain response, Superintendent Kwon visited Jangpyeong Elementary School in Geoje, where the main building, kindergarten, playground, and cafeteria had been flooded, to inspect the damage and ongoing recovery efforts as well as to check on plans for academic operations.

He then visited Okposeongji Middle School, where flood victims are staying, to review any inconveniences and shelter management, and offered words of encouragement to about 150 students and local residents taking refuge there.

Kwon Sunki, Superintendent of Education of Gyeongnam (far right), is visiting and inspecting the site of Jangpyeong Elementary School in Geoje, which suffered damage from heavy rains.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Office of Education]

As of 4 p.m. on August 17, a total of 41 education facilities, including 33 in Geoje and 8 in Tongyeong, suffered damage from heavy rains that began on August 15 and lasted three days.

Flooding, leaks, structural damage, and property losses occurred at 10 kindergartens, 19 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 3 high schools, and 1 special-education school. Since students were not attending school during the Liberation Day holiday, there were no casualties on school grounds.

The Gyeongnam Office of Education plans to prioritize repairs at affected facilities before the new semester starts, ensuring that students’ educational activities are not disrupted once summer break ends.

In particular, if cafeteria restoration cannot be completed before school reopens, alternative meal and lunch support measures will be provided for students.

In addition, as some repairs may not be possible during the break, the Office is reviewing the possibility of delaying the start of the new term at schools damaged by the heavy rains, including Jangpyeong Elementary School in Geoje.

If the start of the new semester is postponed, nearby schools will provide emergency childcare services to minimize gaps in care for parents.

Gyeongnam Superintendent of Education Soon-ki Kwon visited Okposeongji Middle School, where students and disaster victims affected by the heavy rain had evacuated, to encourage the students and residents sheltering there.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Office of Education]

The Provincial Office of Education, together with local education support office facility personnel, will assess the extent of the damage so that schools can focus on restoration and academic operations, and will provide contingency funds on a priority basis to the most urgently affected locations.

Administrative and financial support, such as applying for disaster recovery funds to the Korea Educational Facilities Safety Institute, will also be promptly provided.

The recovery process will involve close cooperation, with roles shared among schools, education support offices, and local governments.

Gyeongnam Superintendent of Education Soon-Ki Kwon (far right front) is sitting face-to-face with Geoje Mayor Kwang-Yong Byun to discuss measures to prevent the recurrence of damage from heavy rainfall.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Office of Education]

On August 17, Superintendent Kwon met with Kwangyong Byun, Mayor of Geoje, at Geoje City Hall to request cooperation on measures to prevent recurrence, such as improving rivers and drainage systems near schools, and to seek support for equipment needed for school recovery efforts.

Additionally, on August 18, the first day of the Ulji Exercise, the Office took steps to exclude the Geoje and Tongyeong areas from the drill so that they could focus their efforts on flood recovery.

For the remaining period of the exercise (August 19-21), further decisions will be made based on the guidelines of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the situation in the affected regions.

Superintendent Kwon stated, “The Office of Education and education support offices will provide prompt and necessary support so that affected schools can focus efforts on recovery and preparing for academic operations. Above all, we will ensure thorough safety during the recovery process, and we will work with relevant agencies, including local governments, to develop mid- to long-term improvement measures to prevent future recurrence.”

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