Like a scene from ‘Parasite’: Floods lay bare social disparity in South Korea

SEOUL, Aug 10 (Reuters) – Utilizing a plastic bowl, Ha In-sik bailed water out of his decrease floor condominium within the low-income housing district of Sillim in southwestern Seoul on Wednesday, the place flooding attributable to torrential rain compelled his household to sleep at a close-by park.

The 50-year-old man, alongside together with his spouse and daughter had collected dwelling home equipment, furnishings, books and even cutlery, and put them exterior to see what was salvageable.

The scene bore uncomfortable similarities with the sewage-flooded semi-basement flat depicted within the 2020 Oscar-winning South Korean movie “Parasite,” that was a story of rising social disparity in Asia’s fourth-largest financial system.

The floods have triggered inconvenience and financial losses within the wealthier components of the capital, just like the glitzy Gangnam neighbourhood a couple of miles away.

However in locations like Sillim, the floods have snuffed out what little hope determined folks like Ha had clung to so as simply to maintain going.

“I’ve bought no cash, nothing. However I had come right here to reside on this basement, because it was solely possibility I needed to reside with my daughter,” Ha informed Reuters.

“However I am hopeless now. The whole lot is gone, there isn’t any assist and I do not actually have a spoon to eat meals with.”

Ha wasn’t alone in his distress. Different residents in Sillim have been scooping up water with giant bowls or combing by means of the detritus to see no matter was nonetheless usable.

On Monday, three members of the family residing within the neighbourhood, together with a lady with developmental disabilities, drowned of their decrease floor condominium. President Yoon Suk-yeol visited Sillim a day later.

On Wednesday, Yoon apologised for the tragedy and known as for measures to enhance housing security to guard outdated, poor or disabled folks and households, like Ha’s, whose houses have been most susceptible to flooding.

A minimum of 10 folks have perished because of the torrential rain that has swept throughout the northern a part of the nation since Monday, knocking out energy, inflicting landslides and flooding roads and subways. learn extra

This week’s deluge introduced the heaviest rains in 115 years in Seoul, in response to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

As of Wednesday, it stated, six folks have been nonetheless lacking, 570 have at the least briefly misplaced their houses, whereas 1,400 have been evacuated, principally in Seoul, the Central Catastrophe and Security Countermeasures Headquarters stated.

Because the rain clouds moved southwards on Wednesday, the restoration effort kicked into excessive gear, at the least within the higher off districts.

Whereas giant swathes of Sillim remained flooded, and residents likened circumstances to a “mudbath”, in Gangnam most roads had been cleared and site visitors was again to regular.

Ha stated it could take about 10 days to get his condominium again to the purpose the place he would transfer again in. He stated the one assist the federal government had supplied was for non permanent shelter at a gymnasium, which he rejected.

An official on the Gwanak district workplace, which covers Sillim, stated that restoration efforts might be slower there as a result of focus of tiny residences and homes lining the slender streets, in contrast to Gangnam, which has huge boulevards and workplace buildings.

The official stated the variety of troopers concerned within the restoration could be raised from 210 to 500 on Thursday.

“We’re making all-out efforts to assist residents, bringing everybody from our workplace, troops and volunteers,” the official stated.

Reporting by Hyonhee Shin, Hyeyeon Kim and Daewoung Kim; Further reporting by Minwoo Park; Modifying by Simon Cameron-Moore

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Ideas.