President Moon Jae-in has declared the South Jeolla region a special disaster zone after it suffered serious damage from four days of heavy rain.

According to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee on Thursday, Moon approved the declaration to provide government support in recovery efforts at around 11:50 a.m.

The declared regions are the counties of Jangheung, Gangjin and Haenam, as well as four villages - Jindo, Gunnae, Gogun and Jisan - in Jindo County.

The president urged special consideration in assisting the region's residents restore normalcy in their daily lives amid the ongoing heat wave.

The designated areas will be eligible for partial state coverage of recovery costs, disaster relief payouts and utility fee deductions.