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Floods and Landslides in South Korea Kill 7 and Leave 3 Missing
Seven others were injured, and the monsoon rains that swept across the country were expected to intensify.
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In Cheongju, a city in central South Korea, roads were underwater on Friday. Credit...Yonhap/via Reuters
By John Yoon and Mike Ives
Reporting from Seoul
Published July 14, 2023Updated July 15, 2023, 2:52 a.m. ET
Powerful monsoon rains swept across South Korea, burying homes, knocking down trees, canceling flights and trains, and cutting power to thousands of residents, officials said on Saturday.
The precipitation caused flooding and landslides in the country’s central and southern regions, leaving at least seven people dead and three others missing as of Saturday morning, the Interior Ministry said, adding that the rainfall was expected to intensify in the coming days.
Heavy monsoon rains are typical in South Korea in the summer, and its mountainous topography makes it susceptible to landslides.
On Friday and Saturday, five people died inside homes and buildings that had collapsed in landslides, and one person was buried in earth and sand, the ministry said in a statement. A seventh person died after a road collapsed underneath.
A dam in central South Korea overflowed Saturday morning, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of residents living downstream. A train derailed on Friday night when soil entered a railroad track, though no casualties were reported.
More than 1,500 residents have evacuated their homes since Thursday, according to the ministry statement, which called on emergency workers to help evacuate residents and carry out rescues.
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A view of the flooded Han River in Seoul. Credit...Yonhap/via Reuters
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A man fishing in the flooded Han River, swollen by heavy rainfall on Friday. Credit...Yonhap/via Reuters
The Korea Meteorological Administration said on Saturday that the rain would get stronger over the next two days, mainly in the central and southwestern parts of the country.
The South Korean government has been on alert this month, with top officials stressing the importance of safety during the monsoon season. That sense of urgency grew stronger over the weekend, as reports of deaths and injuries began to come in.
“If there is even a small possibility of danger, overreaction is the principle of this heavy-rain response,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Saturday, mobilizing the military to join rescue efforts. President Yoon Suk Yeol had ordered on Thursday an “all-out response” by the government.
Parts of central South Korea were under a heavy-rain advisory on Saturday morning, with up to 1.6 inches expected in a single hour in some places later in the day, the ministry said.
South Korea’s monsoon season typically begins in June and ends in early August. The rest of the year is mostly dry and sunny, and spring brings the risk of wildfires.
The country used to suffer heavy casualties and in 1984 accepted humanitarian aid from North Korea. But more recently, annual flood-related deaths have been in the single digits, except in 2011, 2020 and 2022.
Last August, some of the heaviest rains in decades led to the deaths of at least 14 people nationwide. In 2020, weeks of intermittent rain caused flooding and landslides across the country, killing 48 people. In 2011, more than 70 people died, including 17 who were killed when mudslides crashed into residential buildings in southern Seoul.
John Yoon reports from the Seoul newsroom of The Times. He previously reported for the coronavirus tracking team, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2021. He joined The Times in 2020. More about John Yoon
Mike Ives is a general assignment reporter. More about Mike Ives
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