SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung declared six districts as special disaster zones on Tuesday after days of torrential rains left a trail of destruction in parts of the country.
The wet weather has now subsided, though media reports said heavy rainfall was drenching parts of North Korea.
Around 19 people have died and nine were still missing in South Korea as of Tuesday morning, while 2,549 people were still displaced, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.
Around 3,776 facilities, including homes, shops and factories, needing to be cleared of water, debris and earth, the ministry added.
President Lee’s declaration of special disaster zones – including in Gapeyeong on the outskirts of Seoul – gave authorities access to emergency administrative and financial support to aid victims.
He earlier told public officials to “spare no effort” in the search for missing people.
The president’s approval rating slipped to 62.2% from 64.6% in a survey conducted last week during the rains, according to pollster Realmeter.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Additional reporting by Cynthia Kim; Editing by Ed Davies and Andrew Heavens)
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