Seoul — Relentless rainfall continued to batter South Korea for a third consecutive day, forcing more than 5,000 residents into emergency shelters and leaving at least four people dead, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
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Torrential rain warnings remain in effect across much of the country’s western and southern regions, with the Korea Meteorological Administration urging residents to exercise extreme caution amid growing risks of flash floods and landslides through Saturday.
The city of Gwangju, in the southern part of the country, recorded over 400 millimetres (16 inches) of rainfall in just 24 hours—the heaviest downpour in recent memory, officials said.
According to the safety ministry, four fatalities have been confirmed, while one person remains unaccounted for. Two of the victims were found trapped in vehicles submerged on flooded roads, while another died in a basement inundated by floodwaters in South Chungcheong Province. A fourth fatality occurred in Osan, approximately 44 kilometres south of Seoul, when a 10-metre-high roadside retaining wall collapsed onto a moving vehicle, fire officials reported.
President Lee Jae Myung, who has made disaster preparedness a key part of his administration’s agenda, convened an emergency meeting on Friday to assess the government’s response. While acknowledging that natural disasters cannot be entirely prevented, President Lee emphasized the importance of proactive planning and timely alerts to minimize loss of life.
“There were cases where casualties occurred due to insufficient response in situations that were reasonably predictable,” the President said. “All available resources must now be mobilized to protect the public and prevent further damage.”
South Korea has seen an increase in extreme weather events in recent years, heightening the urgency for enhanced infrastructure resilience and early-warning systems.
Emergency crews and local governments remain on high alert as heavy rains are expected to persist in affected regions into the weekend.
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