South Korea - The Korea Times

Korean firefighting team arrives in Ottawa to help Canada battle wildfires

Members of the Korea Disaster Relief Team disembark an aircraft after arriving in Ottawa, Canada, July 2, in this photo provided by Seoul's foreign ministry. YonhapA Korean emergency firefighting team dispatched to Canada to help the North American nation deal with raging wildfires has arrived in Ottawa, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.The Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) of 151 workers, including firefighters, emergency workers and medical personnel, arrived in the Canadian capital Sunday (local time) and was received by Mona Fortier, president of Canada's Treasury Board, Korean Ambassador Lim Woong-soon and others.Upon arrival, the team headed to Maniwaki, Quebec province, to receive training and undergo preparations ahead of their mission. The Korean team plans to begin supporting Canadian fire authorities for 30 days in Lebel-sur-Quevillon, Quebec province, on Tuesday.Korea decided to dispatch the team Thursday after holding an interagency meeting on assisting Canada with the fallout of wildfires that have affected some 8.2 million hectares of land across the country.Foreig

Jul 3, 2023

Korean firefighting team arrives in Ottawa to help Canada battle wildfires

Scorching temps to continue through Monday, followed by monsoon rains

Children play in water spraying up from the ground at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, Saturday, July 1. YonhapHigh temperatures are expected to bake Korea into the early days of the new week, with monsoon rains to follow across the country, meteorological officials said Sunday.A heat wave warning remained in place for most of the nation as of 11 a.m. Sunday, with the daily highs ranging from 26 C to 35 C.From Sunday afternoon through Monday afternoon, Jeju Island and parts of the southern region were expected to receive some rainfall. Then from Tuesday to early Wednesday, the rest of the country will likely be blanketed by monsoon rainfall.Since the start of the monsoon season last Sunday, Jeju and South Jeolla Province have been hit particularly hard by downpours. Through early Monday, Jeju could see between 30 and 60 millimeters of rain per hour, while the coast of South Jeolla may receive 20-40 mm of rain per hour.With a stationary front moving north, the rest of the country is expected to get soaked from Tuesday to Wednesday.The central region, for instance, could get as much as 50

Jul 2, 2023

Scorching temps to continue through Monday, followed by monsoon rains

Typhoons, downpours leave 122 dead or missing, cause over $2.3 bil. of damage in last decade

Investigators are examining an underground parking lot in an apartment complex in Pohang, 262 kilometers south of Seoul, submerged after Typhoon Hinnamnor struck the country in September 2022. YonhapTyphoons and heavy rains have left 122 dead or missing and caused some 3 trillion won ($2.3 billion) worth of property damage over the last decade in Korea, government data showed Sunday. Of the total casualties, 76 lives were lost in 2020 and 2022, when massive typhoons and heavy rains pounded the country, including last year's Typhoon Hinnamnor that killed 28 and left two missing, according to statistics from the interior ministry.Property damage also reached 575.2 billion won last year, the data showed. In the case of 2020, the country reported 46 casualties and over 1.3 trillion won in property damage amid the longest-ever monsoon season and four typhoons that battered the country. The damage was concentrated in public infrastructure, such as roads, the data showed. When expanded to the past 30 years, Korea suffered 1,602 human casualties and over 23.1 trillion won in property damage

Jul 2, 2023

Typhoons, downpours leave 122 dead or missing, cause over $2.3 bil. of damage in last decade

Korea under 1st heat wave advisory of year

Children play in water spraying up from the ground at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, Saturday, July 1. YonhapThe first heat wave warning of the year was issued for central and inland regions in Korea, and the government heightened the heat wave alert level nationwide to beef up monitoring and countermeasures.The season's first heat wave warning took effect for seven regions, including the cities of Icheon and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province, Chuncheon in Gangwon Province, and the central countries of Buyeo and Uiseong, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).A heat wave warning is issued when the highest perceived temperature is expected to be 35 C or higher.The weather agency also issued a heat advisory for most other regions nationwide, including Seoul. Combined, some 71 percent, or 128 out of the 180 regions across the country, are under the alert status.A heat wave advisory is issued when the highest perceived temperature is expected to be 33 C or higher for two or more consecutive days or when significant damage is expected due to a sudden increase in the perceived t

Jul 1, 2023

Korea under 1st heat wave advisory of year

Seoul hit by torrential rain; more heavy rain set to hit Jeju Friday

People walk with umbrellas in the Namdaemun Market in central Seoul, Thursday, as the capital experienced 30 to 50 millimeters of rain per hour. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul First fatality from heavy rain reported in HampyeongBy Jun Ji-hyeSeoul, Gyeonggi Province and other regions in the central parts of the nation were hit by torrential rain, Thursday.The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issued a heavy rain watch for Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province as well as North and South Chungcheong and North Jeolla provinces, with 30 to 50 millimeters of rain per hour soaking the regions throughout the day.A heavy rain warning was issued for Chuncheon in Gangwon Province as the city experienced rainfall of 60 millimeters per hour. A foreign visitor pushes suitcases down Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul during a downpour, Thursday. Seoul saw between 30 to 50 m

Jun 29, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

Seoul hit by torrential rain; more heavy rain set to hit Jeju Friday

14-month-old dies after mudslide hits house in Yeongju

Heavy rain watch issued for greater Seoul area

This photo shows people with umbrellas in the heavy rain at Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul, June 29. Yonhap A heavy rain watch was issued for most of the greater Seoul area Thursday, with 30 to 60 millimeters of rain per hour expected to soak the central region throughout the day, the state weather agency said.About 20 mm per hour of rain was falling on Baengnyeong and other northern islands off the west coast as of 6:50 a.m. while drizzle was falling in Seoul and other area around the capital, as a rain front approached from the Yellow Sea, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.The rain clouds marching eastward at 50 kilometers per hour will cause heavy rain in most of the greater Seoul area, the KMA said as it issued a heavy rain watch for the capital area, with the exception of some southern Gyeonggi Province areas. A heavy rain watch was also issued for the western county of Taean and the nearby cities of Dangjin and Seosan in South Chungcheong Province,

Jun 29, 2023

Heavy rain watch issued for greater Seoul area

Downpours batter southern regions; rain to start pouring again Thursday

The Gwangju Stream in the southwestern city of Gwangju is flooded due to heavy rains on June 28. Yonhap Reports of damage to housing and farmland kept mounting as heavy rains battered southern provinces overnight, with up to 365 millimeters of rain swamping the region since Sunday.The monsoon rain, which had waned in the southern region as of Wednesday afternoon, will start pouring again throughout the country on Thursday due to the influence of low atmospheric pressure, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.Up to 365.2 mm of rain fell from Sunday to Wednesday morning in the southwestern city of Gwangju, the highest precipitation rate per hour in five years, and 272 mm of rain pummeled Gwangyang, another city in South Jeolla Province, breaking its three-year record.The damage was concentrated in Gwangju and its surrounding South Jeolla Province, including flooding of housing and farmland, power outages and transport disruption.A worker at an irrigation

Jun 28, 2023

Downpours batter southern regions; rain to start pouring again Thursday

Torrential rain to hit greater Seoul area Tuesday

Pedestrians holding umbrellas cross a road in Busan, Monday, as the annual monsoon season starts. YonhapGov't enters emergency response mode as monsoon season beginsBy Lee Hae-rinSeoul and its surrounding areas are forecast to see up to 100 millimeters of heavy rain with a chance of thunderstorms for two days until Tuesday as the annual monsoon season has begun, the state weather agency said Monday.The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said the country will see heavy showers from Monday to Tuesday, with Seoul forecasted to receive 40 millimeters to 100 millimeters of rain per hour during the daytime.The national weather forecast agency issued heavy rain warnings for Jeju Island and southern provincial areas, Sunday, and expanded the forecasts to South Chungcheong Province and North Jeolla Province on Monday morning.The areas surrounding Seoul and inland areas of Gangwon, Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang provinces saw 20 millimeters to 40 millimeters of rain per hour by Monday night while rural southern regions and Jeju Island were expected to receive as much as 60 millimeters

Jun 26, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

Torrential rain to hit greater Seoul area Tuesday

Up to 100 mm of rain to hit greater Seoul area until Tuesday

People walk with umbrellas on Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul as the annual monsoon season kicked off nationwide, June 26. YonhapHeavy rain began pouring nationwide Monday, with the greater Seoul area expected to see up to 100 millimeters for two days, as the annual monsoon season started, the state weather agency said.Precipitation is expected to range between 50 and 150 mm for the southern resort island of Jeju and from 30 to 100 mm for other regions, including the capital area, mountainous areas and the Yellow Sea islands, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The eastern coast of Gangwon Province will receive 10 to 50 mm throughout Monday, it added.Some regions will face torrential rains with 20 to 40 mm of rain per hour, accompanied by strong wind, lightning and thunder, until Tuesday, the weather agency said.The KMA warned against using streamside trails and underground roadways, citing the danger of being stranded, and warned of flooding in lowlands and river torrents.People walk with umbrellas on Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul as the annual mons

Jun 26, 2023

Up to 100 mm of rain to hit greater Seoul area until Tuesday

Presidential office in emergency response mode as monsoon starts

Presidential office in emergency response mode as monsoon starts

Rain falls on Jeju International Airport on the southern island of Jeju, June 25. YonhapThe office of President Yoon Suk Yeol is working in emergency response mode to monitor possible damage from the annual monsoon season, which began over the weekend, an official said Monday.Heavy rains soaked the nation overnight, with the capital area and other inland regions receiving 10-20 millimeters of rain per hour as of 7 a.m., according to the national weather agency.Yoon instructed the government upon returning from a trip to France and Vietnam on Saturday to thoroughly prepare against damage from the monsoon, especially casualties."This year's monsoon is expected to be longer than previous years, and there is concern about sudden downpours," a presidential official told Yonhap News Agency. "We are on high alert and working in emergency mode."The government, led by the interior ministry, launched a task force three weeks ago to brace for potential damage from the monsoon.Relevant ministries, agencies, local governments and the presidential office have held videoconferences two to three tim