Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Calls grow for new disaster response model after historic rainfall
Floodwaters cover a village in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province, July 17. Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
Record downpour prompts push for more resilient infrastructure, proactive readiness
Editor’s note
This is the last in a two-part series on how extreme weather events are testing the government's response, from the immediate aftermath of a crisis to long-term strategies for building national resilience. — ED.
The summer of 2025 arrived in Korea not with a gentle hum, but a terrifying roar, as a relentless deluge of record-shattering rainfall unleashed a ferocity unseen in generations.
For five consecutive days beginning July 16, torrential rainfall turned ordinary streets into raging rivers, but nowhere was the nightmare more vivid than in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province. There, on July 17, a single hour unleashed 114.9 millimeters of rain — a wall of water so immense it felt, residents recalled, like the sky itself had ruptured. By the time the day surrendered, 413.4 millimeters had fallen upon the stunned city in about 10 hours, an event the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) could only describe with chilling precision: a "once-in-200-years" phenomenon.
According to the KMA, nine other cities and counties, including Gwangju (426.4mm), Sejong (324.5mm), Hampyeong (340.5mm), Dangjin (310.0mm) and Cheonan (301.1mm), also experienced record-breaking daily rainfall, levels considered exceptionally rare events by meteorological standards.
Yet none of the climate scholars recently contacted by The Korea Times found these figures surprising. They said such extreme rain events are becoming the “new normal” and robust government preparedness is essential to safeguard people against the worsening impacts of climate change in the future.
“If we look at a very long time span, we can see that the intensity of hourly rainfall has been increasing gradually. Climate change appears to be among the factors causing this change,” said Woo Jin-kyu, a senior KMA analyst. “Globally, there is increased emphasis on issuing and delivering alerts rapidly when severe weather is detected. Since launching Korea’s Cell Broadcasting Service (CBS) for countrywide emergency alerts, we, too, have reinforced our alert systems for heavy rain.”
A woman grips a handrail while caught in floodwaters in Gwangju, July 17. Newsis
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, at least 23 people died and five others remain missing as a direct result of July’s deluge. Meanwhile, thousands of properties and vehicles sustained damage, and roughly 14,000 people were temporarily displaced.
To minimize human suffering and property damage, experts say the government must begin treating extreme weather as the new norm and urgently ramp up its preparedness. Infrastructure, in particular, requires significant improvement, said Chae Jin, a professor at Mokwon University in Daejeon.
“Urban planning and river systems were historically built to withstand only about 30mm of rainfall per hour. These systems are incapable of coping with the heavy downpours we witnessed this summer,” Chae said. “Korea needs more stormwater retention facilities for rainwater capture. Strategically placed, they can serve as parks or parking areas during dry periods, but switch to retention basins during storms.”
Additionally, he said there should be regulatory and legislative changes to address the issue of high-risk housing during monsoon season ― specifically those with structural and locational vulnerabilities.
“Going forward, even if a riverside or low-lying area offers attractive scenery, construction permits should be restricted more firmly through disaster impact assessments,” Chae said.
At the National Assembly, 77 liberal lawmakers proposed a “safety-first” bill aiming to set up new rules to prevent safety-related accidents. If passed, the law could provide a legal basis, experts say, for actions like rewriting construction regulations to put safety above matters like cost and effectiveness.
A vehicle sits on a flooded street in Gwangju, July 17. Yonhap
Beyond policy, experts emphasized the need for practical, nonpartisan approaches to disaster response. Some cited past successes, while warning against the dangers of politicizing management of critical flood-control infrastructure.
“Some levees built under the Four Major Rivers Project have become political footballs, despite evidence of their effectiveness,” said Jeong Sang-man, the chief of the Korea Institute of Disaster and Safety, a think tank. “I believe the best approach now is flexible, science-based management ― opening gates in storms, closing them in droughts ― not political wrangling … For the safety of the public, I believe politics should be kept out of this issue.”
The Four Major Rivers Project, a sweeping green growth initiative championed by former President Lee Myung-bak — former CEO of one of Korea’s largest construction firms — was officially concluded in 2011. Encompassing the Han, Nakdong, Geum and Yeongsan rivers, the project aimed to secure water resources, prevent flooding through dredging and the construction of weirs, improve water quality and create multi-use spaces for recreation and regional development. Despite its stated goals, the more than 22 trillion won project faced fierce criticism from the outset. Environmentalists and experts raised concerns over ecological disruption, stagnant water caused by the levees and the degradation of natural river systems.
Critics often argued that while the project might mitigate some localized flooding, its extensive dredging and fixed levees could, paradoxically, exacerbate flood damage in other areas by altering natural water flow and increasing sediment accumulation.
Separately, a tragic failure of infrastructure occurred in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, when a retaining wall beneath an overpass collapsed during heavy rainfall on June 16, killing a motorist. Local authorities had received a resident’s warning about the risk just a day before the accident.
To prevent similar accidents, experts emphasized vigilance and proactivity in responding to warnings.
“Even a good system can be rendered useless if the people in charge don’t use it when they should,” said Jeong Jong-soo, a professor at Soongsil University. “To prevent a tragedy like this, we all should take such safety warnings more seriously and act with greater proactivity and responsiveness.”