South Korea Grapples With Record-breaking Floods And Deadly Landslides As Intense Rainfall Devastates Western Regions And Strikes At The Heart Of Local Communities

Friday, July 18, 2025

South Korea is facing 1 of nan worst nationalist disasters it has experienced, aft grounds levels of rainfall person caused devastating floods and lethal landslides successful nan nation’s occidental provinces. The dense rains, ranging from Gyeonggi to South Chungcheong, person wreaked wide havoc not only to houses and different buildings but lives pinch nan number of fatalities to increase. The relentless storms person swamped infrastructure, swamped homes and forced thousands of evacuations transforming once-thriving communities into disaster areas. With much rainfall connected nan way, officials are moving to easiness nan catastrophic situation, but galore areas are still severely affected.

Heavy rainfall unleashed devastating floods crossed South Korea’s occidental regions, resulting successful important casualties, extended damage, and wide disruptions. From early Wednesday to Thursday morning, torrential downpours battered aggregate areas, including Gyeonggi and South Chungcheong provinces, leaving astatine slightest 4 group dead, according to section reports. Authorities confirmed nan casualties by 6 p.m., arsenic communities grappled pinch terrible upwind conditions.

In Gyeonggi Province, nan cities of Pyeongtaek and Hwaseong knowledgeable an bonzer complaint of precipitation, pinch much than 80 millimeters of rainfall per hr recorded connected Thursday alone. This aggravated rainfall caused important structural damage. In Osan, a metropolis neighboring Pyeongtaek and Hwaseong, a catastrophic illness of a 10-meter-high retaining wall tragically crushed a passing car, sidesplitting nan driver, a man successful his 40s.

The business was likewise grim successful South Chungcheong Province, peculiarly successful Seosan, wherever 1 of nan worst-hit cities, dense rainfall submerged streets, and led to aggregate fatalities. In nan early hours of Thursday, a car was swept distant by nan flooding, drowning nan driver, a man successful his 60s. Later, astatine 11:25 a.m., authorities discovered different tragic death—an aged man successful his 80s—who drowned successful nan aforesaid area. Seosan’s rainfall strength reached a highest of 114.9 millimeters per hour, marking it arsenic nan hardest-hit region.

At 9:35 a.m., a devastating landslide struck Cheongyang-gun, a region successful South Chungcheong Province, burying 2 residents. Emergency services quickly reached nan site, rescuing nan injured and transporting them to a section infirmary by 9:50 p.m.In Dangjin, South Chungcheong, occurrence officials recovered nan assemblage of an 80-year-old man who had drowned successful a submerged basement.

The Ministry of nan Interior and Safety’s Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters reported singular rainfall totals, pinch Seosan receiving 419.5 millimeters, Hongseong 411 millimeters, and Dangjin 376.5 millimeters. The coastal region of Taean, located westbound of Seosan, besides saw much than 300 millimeters of rain. The changeless downpours led to impermanent evacuations of 79 households successful nan affected areas.

By Thursday morning, nan dense rains had prompted nan removal of complete 1,000 residents from their homes. In summation to nan floods and landslides, schools crossed South Chungcheong Province were forced to adjacent successful cities specified arsenic Yesan and Hongseong. Public information was further compromised arsenic astir 80 underpasses, riverside roads, and low-level bridges successful nan Chungcheong region were closed to forestall accidents.

The Korea Meteorological Administration issued dense rainfall warnings for respective areas, including Sejong, nan Chungcheong provinces, and parts of Gyeonggi Province. A dense rainfall informing is issued erstwhile much than 90 millimeters of rainfall is expected successful 3 hours aliases 180 millimeters complete 12 hours. Meanwhile, cities for illustration Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, and Gwangju were placed nether dense rainfall advisories, which are issued erstwhile 60 millimeters of rainfall is expected wrong 3 hours aliases 110 millimeters successful 12 hours.

The torrential downpours triggered important infrastructural disruptions. In Gwangju, nan first dense rainfall advisory was upgraded to a informing by 10:10 a.m. connected Thursday. Reports indicated that 87 roads and 38 buildings had been submerged by nan floodwaters. In nan confederate region of North Gyeongsang Province, a landslide was besides reported successful Cheongdo-gun. Although a location was reportedly damaged, nan afloat grade of casualties and damages was not yet confirmed.

Korea Railroad Corp. announced that train services betwixt Seoul and cities successful Chungcheong Province, specified arsenic Cheonan, Hongseong, and Cheongju, had been suspended. In addition, trains connected nan Honam Line, connecting Daejeon to Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, were besides disrupted arsenic of Thursday afternoon. The dense rainfall besides forced nan closure of complete 374 trails successful nationalist parks and led to nan cancellation of 39 rider ships from 31 oversea routes.

As nan business intensified, nan Ministry of nan Interior and Safety upgraded nan emergency consequence to nan highest level, shape three, and issued a “severe” rainfall alert indicating a high-risk situation. Authorities instructed applicable agencies to intimately show areas prone to landslides and flooding and advised evacuations arsenic necessary.

South Korea is facing unprecedented flooding and deadly landslides arsenic aggravated rainfall devastates occidental regions, causing important harm and nonaccomplishment of life. Authorities are moving tirelessly to negociate nan increasing crisis, but nan business remains critical.

The nationalist upwind agency predicts that nan dense rainfall will proceed to effect nan region, pinch up to 300 millimeters of further rainfall expected crossed nan Chungcheong area and different confederate provinces until Saturday. The business remains critical, pinch authorities moving tirelessly to mitigate nan risks and supply alleviation to nan affected communities.