Seoul sets up a plan to speed disaster aid to hardest-hit areas

President Kim Dae-jung on Tuesday ordered that the areas most severely damaged by Typhoon Rusa be declared special disaster zones.

The decision will allow the typhoon victims to receive monetary aid before the government completes its damage assessment. The decision came after the National Assembly passed an amendment to the natural disasters countermeasures law.

It is the first time in Korean history that areas damaged by weather events have been proclaimed disaster zones. Victims living in the affected areas will receive priority in receiving special rescue aid and government compensation. Male residents in the regions will be exempted from reserve forces training.

"The government must take prompt actions," President Kim said. "Be sure to tackle the damage in a timely manner, even if it means the government must present a supplementary budget to National Assembly."

A government aide said, "The scale of the aid will be decided within the boundary of the secured government budget." He added that it had not been decided which regions will receive the special-region designation, because damage was widespread across the country.

The National Disaster Prevention and Countermeasures Headquarters reported Tuesday that the total property damage estimate nationwide so far amounts to 877 billion won ($730 million). The office estimated that the cost would exceed 1 trillion won when damage from the Yeongdong region is reported. Because of the suspension of transportation, no accurate figures have been reported yet from that eastern Gangwon province area. The most destructive typhoon in Korean history was Olga, which struck in 1999 and caused some 1.7 trillion won worth of damage.

A representative of an air force base in Gang-neung said that 18 of its fighter planes were damaged by the water and are being repaired.

If an engine or other important parts have been damaged, parts will have to be imported from the United States, the representative added.

He also said that some 80 land mines that were buried near an air-defense unit were washed away toward a nearby field canal. "We made an announcement to the residents about the mines and placed guards near the area," he said, adding that the unit would remove all mines by early November.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Tuesday that it will pay survivor's annuity for government pensioners whose family members were killed or injured due to the typhoon.

by Kim Chong-hyuk