In the wake of deadly floods and landslides caused by days of torrential rains, President Lee Jae Myung urged authorities on Tuesday to spare no effort in the search for missing victims and recovery work.

President Lee, while presiding over a Cabinet meeting, expressed pain over the scenes of loss, destruction and suffering he has seen, and said he hopes officials will work swiftly to designate hard-hit regions as special disaster zones and provide government support such as grants for relief and recovery.

Acknowledging that many civil servants are working hard to respond to the disasters, he encouraged them to follow best practices and set an example for society, while also warning that public officials who slack off and fail to respond to emergencies will face public judgment. 

The president also called on the prime minister to come up with comprehensive disaster countermeasures and raised the possibility of employing artificial intelligence to better respond to certain natural disasters.