Heavy rain hit southern regions over the weekend

"It was the most nightmarish experience I've ever lived through. I was at home, and the water quickly rose to waist level before I could do anything. I barely managed to escape with just my body."

On Sunday, Choi Yong-gi, the head of Idong Village in Gimhae City, South Gyeongsang Province, spoke in a devastated tone. Since Friday, Gimhae has been hit with 427.8 millimeters of torrential rain, causing the water level of the local Jomangang River to rise rapidly. By 9 a.m. on Saturday, the overflowing river swept through Idong Village. Choi recounted, "While I was calling 119, the river level surged quickly, and the water began flooding over the embankment, inundating homes and fields. If the heavy rain had continued for just one more hour, the embankment would have burst, submerging everything, including the fields and houses." On the same day, part of the Daeseong-dong Tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage site, collapsed in Gimhae.

Over the weekend, record-breaking rainfall hit the southern regions of Korea, including South Gyeongsang, Busan, South Jeolla, and Jeju, causing widespread damage. On Saturday, a giant sinkhole appeared in Busan, leading to an accident where a drainage vehicle from the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters and a five-ton truck fell into the hole. In Jangheung County, South Jeolla, a man in his 80s was found dead after being swept away by a torrent. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, as of 8 a.m. on Sunday, the heavy rain since Friday had caused flooding in 3,608 hectares of farmland—an area equivalent to over 5,050 soccer fields—damaging crops.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration and other sources, the accumulated rainfall from Thursday to midnight on Saturday included 770.5 millimeters in Samgakbong, Jeju, 529.4 millimeters in Changwon, 431.1 millimeters in Gimhae, 400.5 millimeters in Yeosu, and 388.5 millimeters in Sokcho.

On Saturday, Changwon had an "extreme downpour," with rainfall reaching 104.9 millimeters per hour at one point. This heavy rainfall accounted for nearly a quarter of last year's total accumulated rainfall (2,161.1 millimeters). Typically, rainfall over 30 millimeters per hour is classified as heavy rain, and over 50 millimeters per hour is considered extreme. When rainfall exceeds 100 millimeters per hour, visibility is so poor that people standing next to each other can't be seen. Changwon's previous hourly rainfall record was 102 millimeters on July 16, 2009. The Korea Meteorological Administration analyzed this downpour in the South Gyeongsang region as a "once-in-200-year" event.


이소정 sojee@donga.com