Flood Victims Set to File Lawsuits Claiming Compensations

It’s inert government reactions to Typhoon Rusa that caused total devastation. Enraged flood victims are moving to file collective lawsuits against local and central governments.

Community councils and grass-root organizations in Jungsun, East Gangwon Province announced on September 12 that they have decide to file a law suit against Gangnueng Hydraulic Power Station which they say failed to control the water level. To this end, they are set to forming “Coalition of Jungsun Residents” that will push for closure of Doam Dam.

“Gangneung Hydraulic Power Station, having failed to control the water level, began to dump out as much as 625 ton of water per second in the evening of August 31 when torrential rains hit the area, causing massive flooding throughout Jungsun area,” they argued.

Residents living in another hard-hit area Gujung County in Gaungnueg are also preparing a lawsuit against the Korea Agriculture Infrastructure Cooperation (KAICO) citing poor management of Dongmak Reservoir.

“Yang, a 66-year-old caretaker working at the reservoir, initially asked the corporation to open the water gate, but it did not unload water,” fumed the residents. “Then the reservoir burst out at around 9:00 p.m. on August 31, inundating three villages nearby.”

Residents in Shinsuk-dong, Gangneung City formed a representative body to seek damages from the corporation for their losses resulting from the collapse of Janghyun Reservoir.

“Indiscreet logging caused a landslide, causing a widespread damage,” residents in Imgok-ri, Gangdong-myeon in Gangnueng said that the Korea Forest Service must be held accountable.

“Expansion of the road passing through the village is a main culprit of the flooding since the road is located 3.5m higher on the ground than the village with the drain system in poor shape,” villagers in Walhopyong-dong in Gangneung said they would seek damages from the local land development authorities as well as ask for suspension of the construction.

Some 200 residents in Modong-myeon, Sangju in South Gyeongbuk Province, have also decided to file a collective case against KAICO arguing that a huge amount of water released from Sangpan Reservoir inundated about 100 households and nearby farmlands.

Residents in Youngyang-gun and Chungsong-gun in Gyeongbuk are charging that Imha Dam Management Corporation failed to unload water in time causing water flowing back to farmlands and houses.

In addition, angry residents in Gacheon, Goryung, Kimcheon and Youngcheon throughout the hard-hit Gyeongbuk Province are calling on local governments and KAICO to pay compensations and punish those responsible. They are vowing to bring their cases to the court unless the agencies responsible fail to compensate losses.

sunghyun@donga.com boriam@donga.com