By Sohn JiAe

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon paid a visit to Pohang-si in Gyeongsanbuk-do Province on Nov. 16 and visited the epicenter of the magnitude 5.4 earthquake the day before that left more than 1,500 citizens displaced.

After assessing the post-quake damage at the Pohang Girls’ High School and at Handong Global University, the prime minister said, “What we must do right now can be boiled down to two things: damage restoration, and support for those victims in the city.” He also urged each government body to stick to its procedure manuals and guidelines in terms of the restoration process.

“This morning at an emergency meeting I convened, I asked ministers to focus on ‘on-site investigation and restoration.’ The ministries should respect and follow actions to be taken by the city of Pohang in the restoration efforts,” he stated.

President Moon Jae-in, too, convened an emergency meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 15, just two hours after the earthquake hit the southern city, and ordered that a safety check on not only the nation's nuclear power plants, but also at other industrial facilities, be carried out immediately.

“After the previous earthquake from which Gyeongju reeled in September last year, we’ve learned that we should be careful about a series of aftershocks that could follow the first quake,” said President Moon. He called on his top aides to “not loosen up, or think that the quake was within a safety margin. Instead, keep a thorough eye on the situation.”

jiae5853@korea.kr