South Korea has designated five local regions as emergency response zones as these areas are reeling from high unemployment amid a prolonged slump in the shipbuilding industry.
 
Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon announced the decision on Tuesday during a meeting of economy-related ministries. 
 
The areas newly designated as "special industrial crisis response zone" are Ulsan, Mokpo, Geoje, Tongyeong and Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province. 
 
The minister said that the government will provide job support for laid-off workers and financial support for businesses with liquidity problems in the zones. He also vowed the government's full support for establishing tourism-related facilities in the regions to boost the local economies.