PM suggests to Yoon vice minister reshuffle over deadly underpass flooding

▲ Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (L) and President Yoon Suk Yeol at a weekly meeting in this file photo (Yonhap)

PM-underpass flooding

PM suggests to Yoon vice minister reshuffle over deadly underpass flooding

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo suggested to President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday the reshuffling of a vice minister-level official for his alleged mishandling of a deadly underpass flooding that claimed the lives of 14 people earlier this month, according to ruling-party officials.

The underground roadway in Osong in western Cheongju, 112 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was flooded on July 15 after an embankment was brought down by the rising water level amid torrential downpours, submerging several vehicles, including a bus.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination, under the Prime Minister's Office, conducted an inspection to determine the causes behind the flooding, and it revealed negligence on the part of the National Agency for Administrative City Construction (NAACC), a state body responsible for building the administrative city of Sejong.

The director of the NAACC was found to have failed in supervising the construction of a nearby bridge. A construction firm had demolished the original embankment and constructed a feeble emergency embankment, which was later identified as one of the main causes behind the deadly flooding.

The suggestion for the vice minister's reshuffle was made during a weekly meeting at the presidential office, and Yoon reportedly has not shown a particular response, they said.

The suggestion for a reshuffle is interpreted as a de-facto dismissal.

In addition to the vice minister replacement, Han also suggested an additional reshuffling of other ranking government officials, as well as fire and police officers in the district responsible for the accident.

The president and prime minister meet at the presidential office every Monday to discuss state affairs, usually over lunch.

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