Torrential rains in Korea have left 17 people dead and 11 missing, damaging nearly 2,000 public facilities nationwide. President Lee Jae Myung has instructed officials to swiftly assess the flood damage and expedite the designation of special disaster zones. Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province, suffered the deadliest impact, prompting an unprecedented evacuation order for the entire county. Two more deaths were reported in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, where search and rescue operations remain underway.
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. 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. The government launched an inter-agency recovery support team to provide streamlined assistance for victims through comprehensive support centers, particularly in areas hit hardest by the torrential rain.
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. All heavy rain warnings have been lifted, and the KMA officially declared the end of the monsoon season.
