South Korea to hold meeting of diplomatic missions next week
South Korea will open an annual meeting of its top envoys abroad next week with a focus on strengthening its diplomacy amid geopolitical challenges, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.
At least 13 people were dead and several others reported missing due to the heavy rains that have continued to lash South Korea’s central region.
More than 1,000 were forced to leave their homes, while some 5,751 hectares of farm land were swamped or buried, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.
Most recently, six deaths were reported in Pyeongtaek and Gapyeong, both in Gyeonggi province, as landslides engulfed a makeshift workplace and a mountainside accommodation, Yonhap News Agency reported.
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Public facilities, such as roads and bridges, railways and water reservoirs were also destroyed.
In Seoul, most riverside roads that had entry restricted as water levels rose were back in operation, with the exception of Jamsu Bridge, which links the capitals’ southern and northern parts over the Han River.
President Moon Jae-in is going to hold an emergency meeting later in the day on countering the recent damage.
Meanwhile, weather forecasts showed that the downpour is likely to continue for the next few days.
Last year, at least six people were killed and several others missing after Typhoon Mitag lashed South Korea with heavy rain and strong winds.
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