Record-breaking rainfall hits South Korea, thousands displaced

Sept. 21, heavy rain warnings were lifted across South Korea, prompting the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to deactivate the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters. However, the record-breaking rainfall caused widespread damage, displacing more than 1,500 people across seven provinces.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Sept. 22, the intense rain began on Jeju Island and along the southern coast on the afternoon of Sept. 19, continuing nationwide through Sept. 21.

The southern and western coastal regions saw particularly heavy rainfall, with some areas receiving close to 100 millimeters per hour, while southern provinces and the Chungcheong region saw 50 to 80 millimeters per hour.

Firefighters assist in moving a vehicle isolated by floodwaters on a submerged road in Dunsan-ri, Bongdong-eup, Wanju County, North Jeolla Province, on the morning of Sept. 21, 2024./Yonhap News

The highest totals were recorded in coastal areas, especially in Gyeongsang Province and the mountainous regions of Jeju, which saw up to 500 millimeters of rain. Other areas, including southern provinces, Jeju, Chungcheong, and eastern Gangwon Province, recorded totals of 200 to 300 millimeters.

Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province set a new daily rainfall record, with 397.7 millimeters falling on Sept. 21, breaking the previous record of 268 millimeters from July 2009. A new hourly rainfall record was also set, with 104.9 millimeters in one hour, surpassing the previous 2009 record of 102 millimeters—an event meteorologists described as having a 1-in-200-year probability.

Other areas also saw historic rainfall. Seosan in South Chungcheong Province recorded 221.8 millimeters on Sept. 20, breaking a 28-year record from September 1999. Suncheon in South Jeolla Province received 200.8 millimeters on the same day, exceeding the 179.5-millimeter record from September 2014. Busan and Geoje also recorded their highest-ever September daily rainfall, with 378.5 and 348.2 millimeters, respectively.

From midnight on Sept. 19 through midnight on Sept. 21, accumulated rainfall reached 770.5 millimeters at Samgakbong in Jeju, 529.4 millimeters in Changwon, 431.1 millimeters in Gimhae, 400.5 millimeters in Yeosu, and 388.5 millimeters in Sokcho.

A large sinkhole, approximately 10 meters wide, 5 meters long, and 8 meters deep, opened on a road in Sasang District, Busan, around 8:45 a.m. on Sept. 21, 2024, trapping a firefighting water pump and a 5-ton truck that were providing drainage support./News1

Though no casualties were reported, the extreme weather caused significant infrastructure damage. Ferry services were suspended for 77 vessels across 55 routes, and 16 flights were canceled. Access was restricted in 641 sections of 22 national parks, 39 underpasses, 3,061 riverside areas, and 38 roads. Additional damage included 107 flooded roads, 21 landslides, and 170 homes inundated. A sinkhole also formed in Busan’s Sasang District, requiring repairs.

In agriculture, around 4,116 hectares of farmland—about 14 times the size of Yeouido Island—were submerged.

As of 11 p.m. on Sept. 21, 1,501 people from 1,014 households in Busan, North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang, South Jeolla, and North Jeolla provinces had been evacuated. Of these, 455 households—totaling 682 people—were unable to return home. The government and local authorities provided temporary housing for 405 households (595 people), while others took shelter with relatives, at senior centers, in community halls, or at private accommodations.