President Lee Myung-bak has visited a flood control center for the Han River to check the damage from the recent torrential rains.

The president said on Thursday that the nation should establish new disaster standards for Seoul in order to effectively respond to natural disasters.

He noted that the nation has never seen such heavy rains during such a short period of time, adding current standards to deal with disasters are no longer effective in cities.

The president also called Busan Mayor Huh Nam-sik to enhance disaster standards in cities to address climate change.