SEOAN CITY: At least three people have died and over 1,000 evacuated after South Korea was battered by its heaviest hourly rainfall in 120 years. The western Seosan area recorded 114.9 mm (4.5 inches) of rain per hour, a level described as “typically seen only once in 100 years” by weather officials.
The Ministry of Interior and Safety confirmed the fatalities, all occurring in South Chungcheong province. Police reports revealed one victim was found in a submerged car, while two elderly men died separately—one swept away near a stream and another in a flooded basement apartment.
“The water is just too deep and so much mud has been pushed in that I’ve already been working for about five hours trying to drain it all out,“ said Kim Min-seo, a restaurant worker struggling with cleanup efforts.
Seosan residents faced severe flooding, with videos showing submerged markets, apartments, and vehicles. Choi Hee-jin, a nightclub owner, described her devastation: “Water had completely filled the club, and everything—sofas, fridges, furniture, even computers—was just floating around.”
The Korea Meteorological Administration attributed the deluge to “warm and moist air flowing in along the edge of the North Pacific High,“ creating extreme atmospheric instability. By Thursday morning, Seosan had received 440 mm (17.3 inches) of rain—35% of its annual average.
Evacuation orders were issued in Hongseong county as nearby streams overflowed, forcing school closures. While South Korea routinely manages monsoon floods, scientists link the increasing severity to climate change. The 2022 floods, which killed 11, also set rainfall records. - AFP
