'Underground phobia' grows amid regular deadly flooding

Korea has no air pocket facilities to evacuate people, automatic gates to shut down underground spaces, experts say

The Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command and The 13th Special Mission Brigade conduct a rescue operation with firefighters at Gunpyeong 2 Underpass in Osong-eup, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province on Saturday. (Yonhap)

Fatal flooding in underground spaces such as underpasses and underground parking lots during monsoon season has become an annual incident.

At least 14 people have been confirmed dead in the flooding of the Gunpyeong 2 underpass in Osong-eup, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province on Monday. In September last year, seven people died in a flooded underground parking lot after Typhoon Hinnamnor hit Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. In 2020, four people lost their lives when underpasses in Busan and Daejeon were flooded.

With flooding casualties rising over the years, several Koreans say that they have developed what many call an “underground phobia,” where they fear being inside underground spaces during heavy torrential rain.

Park, who wished to only be identified by her surname, said that she avoids subways and any other underground areas when it rains. “Whenever it rains, I don’t even ride the subway because I’m scared the stations will flood. If I have no choice but to be underground when it rains, I try to secure an exit so I can escape right away,” said Park.

Unfortunately, experts say that underground floods could continue to occur in the future, if without proper preventative measures. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration’s climate statistical analysis, the number of days with precipitation above 50 millimeters per hour in Korea was calculated to be an average of 6.0 days between 2012 to 2021, a large increase from an average of 2.4 days between 1973 to 1982.

There has also been an increase of underground spaces, especially in cities like Seoul with high population density. “As cities become heavily populated, areas that are above ground become scarcer. Since there is a limited amount of above-ground space that can be used, underground spaces are being actively developed,” said professor Lim Ki-taek of Pukyong National University’s Department of Architecture and Design. Additionally, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s “2023 Road, Bridge and Tunnel Status Report,” the total length of underpasses in Korea increased from 54,999 meters in 2000 to 231,857 meters in 2022.

Drainage work is conducted during a rescue operation at Gunpyeong 2 Underpass in Osong-eup, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province on Sunday. (Yonhap)

“Even though underground facilities like underpasses are constructed with stronger flood control systems than those above ground, they do not take into account the severity and scale of extreme rain that has increased in recent years,” said professor Kim Jung-hwa from the Department of Urban Planning and Transportation at Kyonggi University. “There is a need to strengthen such flood control systems and related laws to prevent floods in the future.”

“While Korea just has drainage pumps for underground facilities during heavy rain, some US states have underground facilities equipped with air pockets and emergency exits for people to evacuate during flooding emergencies. Japan also has automatic gates that close off underpasses when there is a flood risk,” said professor Kong Ha-sung from Woosuk University’s Department of Fire Prevention and Safety. “Korea not only lacks such infrastructure, but also subsidies to add them to existing underground facilities.”

To prevent flooding of underground areas, “Prevention Standards for Underground Floods” were issued as law by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security in December 2022. However, this law does not apply to underground spaces built before December 2022, which explains the lack of preventative infrastructure in several underground facilities.

By Lee Jung-joo(lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com)