2023 South Korea floods

natural disaster in South Korea

A lot of rain during the 2023 East Asian rainy season caused very bad flooding and landslides across South Korea. This was mostly a problem for people in the provinces of North Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang. At least 44 people were killed, and six are missing.[1][2]

2023 South Korea floods
A flooded road
A flooded road
A flooded road
How long: 8 June 2023 – 26 July 2023
(1 month, 2 weeks and 5 days ago)
Areas affected: All of South Korea

Impact

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Flooded farmland

Many people were badly hurt when torrential rains caused landslides and the overflow of a dam in North Chungcheong. This caused the evacuation of over 9,200 homes and over 14,400 people across South Korea.[1][3] On 17 July, the Yonhap News Agency reported that 628 public buildings and 317 private houses and businesses were damaged by the heavy rain.[4] According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, over 31,000 hectares (77,000 acres) of farmland were damaged or flooded and 693,000 livestock were killed.[1] Several cultural heritage sites were also damaged. These include Gongsanseong Fortress and Mungyeong Saejae.[5]

Government response

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Prime Minister Han Duck-soo deployed the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. He made them do search and rescue operations because the flood caused problems for rail services in the area.[6]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jung-youn, Lee (2023-07-18). "44 dead, 6 missing amid continued downpours as of Wednesday morning". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  2. Haye-ah, Lee (2023-07-19). "Yoon designates 13 special disaster zones over deadly downpours". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  3. "중대본 "오전 6시 기준 호우로 39명 사망·9명 실종"". JTBC News (in Korean). 17 July 2023. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  4. Park, Bo-ram (17 July 2023). "49 dead or missing in downpours after 4 more bodies recovered from underground road". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  5. Lee, Hyo-jin (17 July 2023). "Yoon orders all-out efforts to cope with damage from downpour". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  6. "7 bodies pulled from flooded road tunnel in South Korea as rains cause flash floods and landslides". AP News. 16 July 2023. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.