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SEOUL - South Korea's government will declare a coastal region hit by a devastating oil spill a special disaster area, opening the way for direct government assistance to the stricken area, Yonhap news agency reported today.
Yonhap cited Government Administration and Home Affairs Minister Park Myung-jae. A call to the ministry seeking confirmation was referred to the National Emergency Management Agency, which said no such decision had yet been made.
"We are still reviewing whether to declare a special disaster area," said Lee Gon-kie, an official at the agency handling the issue, adding that a damage estimate has not yet been fully made.
Waves of crude oil from a damaged tanker have been washing up on shores in the area since Saturday, one day after the oil began leaking when the ship was hit by a barge. The area is about 150km southwest of Seoul.
- AP
