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소아쌤

Parties vow bipartisan cooperation on earthquake recovery

By Yonhap

Published : Nov. 16, 2017 - 11:59

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South Korea's political parties pledged Thursday to work closely together to support recovery efforts in the earthquake-hit southeastern city of Pohang in a moment of bipartisanship.

The 5.4 magnitude quake struck Pohang, 360 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wednesday, damaging more than 1,000 buildings, homes and vehicles, injuring at least 57 people and displacing a total of 1,536 people from their homes.

"(The government) has to focus on minimizing the damage, considering that additional aftershocks are forecast to occur," Back Hye-ryun, the spokeswoman of the ruling Democratic Party, told reporters.

This photo, taken Sept. 24, 2017, shows Back Hye-ryun, the spokeswoman of the ruling Democratic Party, speaking during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul. (Yonhap) This photo, taken Sept. 24, 2017, shows Back Hye-ryun, the spokeswoman of the ruling Democratic Party, speaking during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul. (Yonhap)

"It also has to actively consider financial measures necessary for the recovery efforts and help residents there go about their business as usual," she added.

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party decided to form an in-house panel to discuss measures to support the recovery efforts and to strongly demand that the government declare the affected region a special disaster zone.

"Our party will make all-out efforts to support the restoration work and meticulously check earthquake-related measures during our upcoming budget deliberations," Chung Woo-taik, the party's floor leader, said during a meeting with senior party officials.

The People's Party also vowed bipartisan cooperation and stressed the need for the government to mobilize all of its administrative capabilities to minimize human and property damage from the quake.

"Earthquakes have now become a real threat to our country, though we have so far regarded them as something that could only happen in other countries," Kim Dong-cheol, the party's floor leader, said.

"There is nothing that takes precedence over people's lives, properties and safety," he added. (Yonhap)

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