Severe floods in South Korea have resulted in four deaths and displaced over 1,300 residents after record-breaking rainfall in Seosan and Gwangju. The country’s meteorological administration described the extreme rainfall event as “once-in-a-century,” with the west coast city of Seosan receiving more than 400mm of rain within just 12 hours. Similarly, Gwangju recorded 426mm on Thursday alone, marking one of the heaviest downpours in recent memory.
The fatalities include a person who suffered a cardiac arrest inside a flooded vehicle on a road in Seosan, an elderly man found dead in the flooded basement of his home, and another person who died when a retaining wall collapsed onto a moving vehicle. A fourth victim was also found dead in a stream. Two people remain missing in the southwest city of Gwangju.
According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, over 7,000 people have been evacuated, with more than 2,800 still unable to return to their homes. The ministry reported a total of four deaths and over 1,300 evacuations as of Thursday. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) warned of continued flash floods and landslides, urging citizens to avoid riverbanks, steep slopes, and underground spaces.
The KMA stated that the rainfall in Seosan was “a level typically seen only once in 100 years” and the “highest rate since full records began in 1904.” The nearly 440 mm of rain in Seosan is equivalent to 35% of the region’s average annual rainfall. Areas of the country have received 40 percent of their annual average rainfall in just the past four days.
The disaster has led to significant property loss and disruption to daily life, with widespread shock and devastation reported. Residents like Kim Ha-min, a 26-year-old café owner in Gwangju, described the terror of witnessing her business flood for the first time: “I drained the water, but the smell from the sewers is so bad I can’t reopen.” The government has raised the weather-related disaster alert to the highest tier, mobilizing emergency services to assist displaced residents and assess structural damage.
Infrastructure has been overwhelmed, with 729 cases of damage to public infrastructure reported, including flooded roads and the collapse of river facilities. Cases of private property damage have reached more than 1,000, including 64 flooded buildings and 59 submerged farmlands. Cows were desperately trying to keep their heads above water after sheds and stables were flooded by the rainwater.