Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
Torrential rains leave 17 dead, 11 missing
A child stranded by heavy rainfall is rescued by firefighters from an educational facility in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Yonhap
By Jung Da-hyun
Sancheong suffered deadliest impact, prompting unprecedented evacuation order for entire county
Torrential rains pounded Korea for five consecutive days, leaving 17 people dead and 11 missing and damaging nearly 2,000 public facilities nationwide, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Fire Agency on Sunday.
In response, President Lee Jae Myung instructed officials to swiftly assess the flood damage and expedite the designation of special disaster zones, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said later in the day.
Among the 17 confirmed fatalities, 10 deaths occurred in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province, where a rare countywide evacuation order was issued on Saturday. Two more deaths were reported in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday, where search and rescue operations remain underway. One fatality was reported in Gwangju, while the remaining deaths included one in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, two in Seosan and one in Dangjin — both in South Chungcheong Province.
One person remained unaccounted for in Gwangju, while four were missing in Sancheong, five in Gapyeong and one in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.
The number of casualties may rise as search and rescue operations continue in Gapyeong and Sancheong, the areas hit hardest over the weekend.
A convenience store building is collapsed due to torrential rain in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Yonhap
At around 4:20 a.m., a man in his 40s was found dead after being swept away by floodwaters and caught on the structure of the Daebo Bridge in the Gapyeong area. About 20 minutes later, a guesthouse in the area collapsed in a landslide, burying four people. Three were rescued, but a woman in her 70s was found dead.
In other separate incidents in Gapyeong, one person had gone missing in another landslide, and firefighters are searching for another individual swept away by swift currents nearby.
Communication remained unstable in areas hit hard by the heavy rainfall, leading to a surge in missing person reports. With many sites still inaccessible or in disarray, the number of casualties and damage could rise further.
Gapyeong saw rainfall of up to 76 millimeters per hour around 3:30 a.m., with the cumulative daily total reaching 197.5 millimeters as of 9:30 a.m.
Roads and residential areas are submerged following heavy rainfall in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. Yonhap
In Sancheong, where the highest number of casualties occurred amid torrential rain that reached 100 millimeters per hour, the area suffered extensive damage, particularly from landslides.
Five people were killed in landslides, one died after their home was flooded and another was swept away by rapid currents.
At around 1 p.m. Saturday, the local government issued an unprecedented evacuation order for the entire county — the first time such an order had been given in South Korea due to extreme rainfall.
A total of 58 people have been rescued in Sancheong, and more were expected to be rescued with search and rescue operations still underway.
In addition to casualties, authorities reported 1,920 cases of damage to public infrastructure, including flooded roads, landslides and collapsed river facilities. Another 2,234 cases of damage to private property, such as homes and farmland, were also confirmed.
The heavy rainfall forced 12,921 people from 9,504 households to evacuate across 86 cities and counties nationwide.
Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung presides over a meeting on the government’s response to the heavy rainfall at the Central Disaster and Safety Situation Room in Government Complex Sejong, Sunday. Yonhap
In response to the widespread damage, the government launched an inter-agency recovery support team.
Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung announced the measure during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, saying the government would shift its focus from emergency response to damage recovery.
He also emphasized to provide streamlined assistance for victims through comprehensive support centers, particularly in areas hit hardest by the torrential rain.
Yun further instructed officials to raise public awareness on post-disaster safety, including epidemic prevention measures and warnings against swimming in hazardous areas, as scorching heat is expected to follow the heavy downpours.
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) cited the continued collision of two contrasting air masses as the cause of the unprecedented heavy rain that began on Wednesday across the country.
Meanwhile, all heavy rain warnings have been lifted. The KMA also officially declared the end of the monsoon season. With the North Pacific anticyclone expanding over the Korean Peninsula and humid air pushed in by westerly winds, a prolonged heat wave is expected to follow.
Temperatures will remain high throughout the week, with overnight lows staying above 25 degrees Celsius in many areas, resulting in continued tropical nights across the country.