Agriculture Ministry Holds Emergency Meeting On Monsoon Preparedness

According to Yonhap, South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs held an emergency meeting Friday to review steps to prepare for heavy monsoon rains and limit damage to the farm sector. The ministry said it inspected disaster readiness with related agencies and nine provincial governments, focusing on cracks and leaks in reservoirs, the operation of drainage pumps, drainage channels around livestock facilities, and signs of landslides, falling rocks and collapses in mountain areas. It also stressed prompt evacuation for farming households in mountainous areas, where landslide risk has risen after recent heavy rains weakened the ground. The Korea Meteorological Administration said heavy monsoon rains are forecast to hit South Korea over the weekend, with more than 300 millimeters of rain expected in parts of the Seoul metropolitan area and the central and southern parts of eastern Gangwon Province.