Lesson from Pohang quake

Time to heal wounds of citizens hit by manmade disaster

The southeastern port city of Pohang has earned the dishonorable nickname of "dangerous city" in the wake of the 2017 earthquake, the second-worst seismic event in the country. The quake left 118 people injured and caused damages of 84.5 billion won ($75 million). A considerable number of residents are still living in groups in gymnasiums due to the possibility of their homes collapsing.

Eighty percent of its citizens are complaining of "mental damage," while 42 percent of them are still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder due to the 5.4-magnitude tremor triggered by Korea's first experimental geothermal plant, according to a year-long study by a team of government-commissioned experts from home and abroad.

It is no wonder that the citizens are furious at the government, arguing that it did not care about their lives and property when constructing an experimental power plant relying on the Earth's internal heat to generate clean and cheap energy.

What the government, the National Assembly and the people have to do right now is heal the wounds of Pohang residents and help them recover as soon as possible from the suffering caused by the manmade disaster.

The government and the Assembly need to closely cooperate in formulating special legislation to compensate the residents for their suffering and to free them of any fear that the earthquake event could recur. A more in-depth investigation should be conducted to determine who is responsible for the absurd incident.

In particular, President Moon Jaein, even if his government is not directly responsible for the calamity, needs to visit the city to apologize to the citizens and to comfort them as the leader of the nation.

We should take the unprecedented disaster as a stern warning. Even if we do not damage nature, a quake can still take place at any time. We have to take a lesson from the Pohang temblor.