Incheon’s Yeongjong-gu District (Mayor Son Hwa-jeong) announced on Aug. 12 that it is concentrating its administrative capacity across the entire process — from initial response to damage compensation to measures preventing recurrence — in connection with the large-scale power outage that occurred in the district on July 13. As the outage caused damage to numerous apartment complexes and commercial districts and significant inconvenience to residents’ daily lives, the district has focused intensively on follow-up response for a month since the incident.
 [The Korean Today] District Mayor Son Hwa-jeong attending resident briefing session on power outage damage © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
On the day of the incident, July 13, the district activated an emergency response system centered on its Disaster and Safety Situation Room immediately after receiving reports of the outage. Following an urgent directive from District Mayor Son Hwa-jeong to “do everything possible to minimize damage from the outage,” the district first checked whether dialysis machines at medical institutions were operating and whether patients had been affected, and immediately confirmed the safety of evacuees among vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities.
The district then held an emergency video conference with related agencies, including the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, and Incheon Metropolitan City, to check on restoration progress in real time. In preparation for the possibility of a prolonged outage or additional incidents, the district immediately opened temporary shelters at the Yeongjong-dong and Yeongjong 1-dong administrative welfare centers, stocking them with heat wave prevention kits and disaster relief supplies, and maintained an emergency duty system to reduce inconvenience to residents. District Mayor Son reportedly toured sites where restoration work had not yet been completed late into the night of the incident, listening to the difficulties of residents and merchants and discussing response measures with district council members and relevant officials.
 [The Korean Today] District Mayor Son Hwa-jeong patrolling site of Yeongjong Sky City power outage © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
Following the initial response, the district focused on providing tangible damage compensation. On July 16, the district visited KEPCO’s Incheon Regional Headquarters for talks on damage compensation, and on July 22, it held a resident briefing session to demand an investigation into the cause of the outage and prompt compensation, conveying residents’ opinions to KEPCO. On July 23, District Mayor Son personally met with KEPCO’s vice president for power systems and the head of its Incheon Regional Headquarters to discuss the utility’s response plan and repeatedly requested that KEPCO establish a dedicated communication channel for receiving damage reports.
As KEPCO’s investigation into the cause and its compensation procedures are expected to take considerable time, the district has proactively installed and been operating ‘Yeongjong-gu Power Outage Damage Report Centers’ since Aug. 3 at four locations: the district office and the Yeongjong-dong, Yeongjong 1-dong and Yeongjong 2-dong administrative welfare centers. On Aug. 25, the district plans to open a ‘Special Free Legal Counseling Office for Residents Affected by the Power Outage’ on the fifth floor of the district office’s standing audit hall to support residents and small business owners facing legal difficulties during the compensation process.
 [The Korean Today] District Mayor Son Hwa-jeong inspecting Incheon CC-Jungsan power line tunnel construction site © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
Since Aug. 11, the district has been publicizing how to file damage reports to about 1,700 commercial establishments and 64 apartment complexes in the district through various means, including distributing notices, sending MMS text messages, and posting on its website and social media. This is seen as a measure to reduce blind spots in damage reporting and enable more residents to participate in the compensation process.
 [The Korean Today] Notice on operation of Yeongjong-gu power outage damage report center © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
The district is also moving swiftly to establish measures to prevent recurrence. On July 29, District Mayor Son visited the construction site of the Incheon CC-Jungsan power line tunnel project to check on progress and urge that the project proceed without delay, and has continued to demand that KEPCO swiftly gather and reflect residents’ requests and establish measures to prevent recurrence. From Aug. 24 to 28, the district plans to conduct joint safety inspections with the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation of emergency self-generation equipment at a total of 18 sites, including 15 apartment complexes with 1,000 or more households and three large-scale stores.
District Mayor Son Hwa-jeong said, “We will actively continue consultations with KEPCO so that residents and small business owners who have suffered great inconvenience due to the power outage can receive fair compensation.” She added, “Through close cooperation with related agencies, we will do our utmost to thoroughly inspect power infrastructure and establish fundamental measures to prevent recurrence.”
[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]
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