President Lee meets civil society leaders and declares Tongyeong a disaster zone

President Lee Jae-myung held a meeting with representatives from various civil society organizations at the Blue House to discuss the role of civil society in upcoming social reforms. During the meeting, Lee emphasized that civil society has played a crucial historical role in South Korea's democratization and expressed a commitment to working together to build a fair and transparent society.

In a separate action, President Lee declared the entirety of Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, as a special disaster zone following heavy rainfall between August 15 and 18. This follows previous designations for Geoje and parts of Tongyeong. The government has extended the damage reporting period to ensure all affected residents are accounted for and has pledged to establish rapid recovery plans to assist residents in returning to their daily lives.