A Five-Day Deluge Across outh Korea
Between July 16 and July 21, 2025, much of South Korea was battered by an intense monsoon system. Long-lasting persistent rainfall led to widespread flash floods and landslides, prompting emergency alerts and fresh warnings from the national weather agency
Human Toll: At Least 18 Dead, 9 Still Missing
As of Sunday evening, the Interior and Safety Ministry confirmed 18 confirmed fatalities and nine missing persons. On Tuesday, that death toll was temporarily reported as 19, with the same number of missing, as authorities deepened the recovery effort.
Regional Impact and Incident Highlights
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Sancheong County (South Gyeongsang Province): This area was the hardest hit, with 10 deaths and four missing, following massive landslides that buried homes and scoured terrain.
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Gapyeong County (Gyeonggi, NE of Seoul): Suffered a record-smashing 173 mm of rain in just 17 hours, surpassing the previous national daily record of 156.3 mm from 1998. Two died, four were missing, and several individuals were trapped or swept away at campsites and riverside homes.
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Other regions: Fatalities also occurred in Seosan, Gwangju, Osan, and South Chungcheong Province, primarily from collapsing structures, car entrapments, flash floods, and saturated land that gave way under pressure
Rescue & Response Efforts
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Over 13,000–14,000 people were evacuated across 15 regions, including urban areas, rural villages, and tourist sites
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Via zip lines and helicopters, emergency crews rescued stranded individuals from swift-moving water and debris-laden slopes, especially in Gapyeong’s resort areas.
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The South Korean military deployed approximately 2,500 troops and equipment to assist in recovery operations in Sancheong, Gwangju, and South Chungcheong Province.
Infrastructure Damage
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Nearly 4,200 facilities suffered damage—approximately 1,999 public structures and 2,238 private properties, encompassing homes, shops, farms, and municipal facilities .
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Widespread destruction included collapsed buildings, destroyed roads, washed-away vehicles, submerged basements, and fields swept clean of topsoil.
Government & Leadership Action
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President Lee Jae Myung, in office since June 2025, issued directives for swift, comprehensive disaster recovery and accountability, pledging that officials found negligent would face consequences
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He also declared special disaster zones to unlock additional financial relief and support for hardest-hit areas and pledged reforms for disaster preparedness tailored to regional needs
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As of Monday and Tuesday, authorities had lowered rain warning levels, and issued a nationwide heatwave watch following the rainfall, signaling sharply rising temperatures ahead
Climate Context & Long-Term Implications
While South Korea regularly experiences monsoon rains, this event has been described by officials and meteorologists as one of the most intense rainfall episodes in decades, with hourly precipitation levels rarely seen. Scientists attribute such extreme rainfall patterns to climate change and shifting weather dynamics
Significant concerns have arisen about the adequacy of early warning systems, regional disaster planning, and civil infrastructure resilience, especially in vulnerable mountainous and rural areas.