President Moon Jae-in has declared eleven southern regions that have been hit hard by recent downpours as special disaster areas. 

The presidential office said that Moon approved the declaration at 3:00 p.m. Thursday. 

The designated areas include Namwon in North Jeolla Province, eight cities and counties in South Jeolla Province and two counties in South Gyeongsang Province.  

Earlier on Wednesday, Moon personally visited two of the eleven regions, including Hadong County in South Gyeongsang Province.  

The declaration will allow the government to spend state funds to support 50 to 80 percent of the expenditures needed for damage recovery. 

With the latest move, a total of 18 regions have been declared as special disaster areas following record seasonal rains.