President Declares BaekSu Township in Yeonggwang a Special Disaster Zone

President Lee Jae-myung has declared BaekSu Township in Yeonggwang County, part of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, a special disaster zone following heavy-rain damage. The decision is contained in Presidential Proclamation No. 375, issued under Article 60 of the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety, and published in the Official Gazette No. 21325 of 18 September 2026. The declaration took effect on 17 September 2026.

What the proclamation establishes

The text records that heavy rain between 28 August and 1 September 2026 caused damage in parts of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, and designates BaekSu Township in Yeonggwang County as the area covered by the special disaster zone. The gazette is issued by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

• Disaster event: heavy rain from 28 August to 1 September 2026.
• Declared area: BaekSu Township, Yeonggwang County, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City.
• Legal basis: Article 60 of the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety.
• Special support: additional national treasury funding and other measures under Article 7 and Annex 3 of the Regulations on Standards for Bearing Costs of Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery.
• Date of declaration: 17 September 2026 (Thursday).
• Publication: Official Gazette No. 21325 (separate volume 1), 18 September 2026, page 7.

Fourth declaration of the 2026 rain season

The proclamation is the fourth special disaster zone declaration published in the gazette this year, following the same four-point template: the facts of the disaster, the designated area, the support measures and the date of declaration.

• Presidential Proclamation No. 372 (7 August 2026): rain of 8–24 July, covering four townships — Iljik, Namseon and Imha in Andong City and Danchon in Uiseong County, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
• Presidential Proclamation No. 373 (21 August 2026): rain of 15–18 August, covering Geoje City and Sanyang Township and Bongpyeong-dong in Tongyeong City, Gyeongsangnam-do.
• Presidential Proclamation No. 374 (4 September 2026): rain of 15–18 August, covering Tongyeong City, Gyeongsangnam-do.
• Presidential Proclamation No. 375 (declared 17 September, published 18 September 2026): rain of 28 August to 1 September, covering BaekSu Township, Yeonggwang County.

What the designation changes

Under the regulation cited in the proclamation, a special disaster zone triggers additional support from the national treasury for relief and recovery, easing the share of the cost that would otherwise fall on the affected local authority. The designation applies specifically to BaekSu Township, not to Yeonggwang County as a whole, so the support is confined to that township’s recovery area.

For residents of BaekSu Township, the proclamation is the formal trigger for state-backed relief and reconstruction funding after the late-summer downpour. For the county’s finances, it shifts part of the recovery bill to the central government at a point when the damage assessment for the 28 August–1 September event is still being processed. The measure was signed by President Lee Jae-myung and carries the force of a presidential proclamation published in the official gazette.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Korea (Gwanbo), No. 21325, 18 September 2026, notices, p. 7 (official reference: Presidential Proclamation No. 375).