Civic groups slam housing policy for semi-basement deaths

Civic groups on Wednesday called for overhaul of government housing policies, claiming that related policies are the root cause of deaths in semi-basement homes in Monday night’s downpour. According to the authorities, four of the 11 confirmed deaths caused by the rain occurred in semi-basement properties. “We condemn the government’s negligence on those marginalized in housing for this tragedy. As rainfall becomes stronger and more frequent under the influence of clim

Aug. 11, 2022

Landslide alerts issued for most of Korea

The authority has elevated landslide warnings for North Jeolla Province and North Gyeongsang Province as of 11 a.m. Thursday as rain cloud move south. In Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, Sejong, Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province, North Chungcheong and South Chungcheong Province, a lower alert level will be maintained. According to the Korea Forest Service, torrential rains of up to 200 mm are expected in Chungcheong Province, North Jeolla Province, and North Gyeongsang Province between Wednesday an

Aug. 11, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall; deaths rise to 3-month high

The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in South Korea fell Thursday after reaching a four-month record high the previous day, but new deaths climbed to a three-month high amid the fast spread of a highly contagious omicron subvariant. The country added 137,241 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total caseload to 20,983,169, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Of the new cases, 522 were from overseas. Thursday's tally fell from 151,792 the previous day but surged

Aug. 11, 2022

Heavy rain casualties rise to 11 deaths, 8 missing

Casualties from this week's heavy rains have risen to 11 people dead and eight others missing, officials said Thursday. Of the dead, six were in Seoul, three in Gyeonggi Province and two in Gangwon Province while three of the eight unaccounted for were from Seoul, according to data from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. A total of 3,775 homes and buildings were inundated, most of them in Seoul. Over 980 people from 548 households, mostly from the wider Seoul area, ha

Aug. 11, 2022

Search continues for those missing in torrential rain

The search for those missing following Monday’s record-breaking downpour in Seoul and its surrounding areas continues, with eight people still unaccounted for as of 6 a.m. Thursday. Eleven have been confirmed dead, and hundreds remain displaced. Three of the eight missing were lost in Seoul’s Seocho-gu district, including a woman who is reported to have been swept into a manhole. She was swept away with her brother, who was found dead around 3 p.m. Wednesday. They w

Aug. 10, 2022

Yoon apologies for flooding in Seoul area

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday issued an apology over the downpour that plagued the greater Seoul area, and pledged fundamental measures to prevent a repeat of Monday night’s havoc. Due to the record-setting heavy rain which hit Seoul, its surrounding regions and Gangwon Province from Monday to Tuesday, nine people have been reported dead, seven missing and some 600 displaced as of Wednesday morning. The president presided over an emergency meeting held at the governmental comp

Aug. 10, 2022

S. Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases reach four-month high of over 150,000

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections surpassed 150,000, reaching a four-month high since April, the government announced Wednesday. The number of critically ill patients also topped 400, amid a prolonged resurgence fueled by the fast spread of a highly contagious omicron strain. “The speed at which COVID-19 spreads is accelerating again,” Lee Ki-il, a deputy health minister, said during a COVID-19 response meeting on Wednesday. The country added 151,792 new COVID-19 case

Aug. 10, 2022

Flooded Gangnam, a ‘slap in the face’ for Seoul mayor

Seoul’s worst flood in recorded history has put its mayor, Oh Se-hoon, in the spotlight, but not in the way he would have hoped. Despite him busily visiting scenes of damage in between holding disaster response meetings, the public‘s attention has been directed to what he said more than a year ago. “Gangnam Station had been subject to flash floods in case of torrential rain. ... But, residents in the area need not worry,” the mayor had said, visiting the construction

Aug. 10, 2022

Animals washed away, left homeless in heavy rain

This week’s record rainfall wreaked havoc not only on the lives of many people, but also some animals.  Social media saw a flurry of postings about stranded animals on flooded streets such as wild ducks, feral cats and dogs.  One Instagram post uploaded on Tuesday by user @assa_candy shared a plea for help from a pet owner whose puppy got swept away in the heavy rain.  "My puppy was swept away in the rain at the Catholic University of Korea. It’s hard to know

Aug. 10, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases jump to 4-month high, deaths tallied at 50

The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in South Korea reached a four-month high Wednesday, as the nation grapples with the fast spread of a highly contagious omicron subvariant. The country added 151,792 new COVID-19 infections, the highest since April 13, when it reported 195,387 cases, bringing the total caseload to 20,845,973, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Of the new cases, 615 were from overseas. Wednesday's figure is up from 149,897 the previous day and 1

Aug. 10, 2022

16 dead, missing in record rainfall in Seoul, surrounding areas in 3 days

Sixteen people have been confirmed dead or missing and more than 2,500 homes and buildings were flooded in this week's record rainfall that battered Seoul and elsewhere in the central and eastern regions, officials said Wednesday. A total of 525 millimeters of rain fell in Seoul from Monday to Wednesday morning, while Yangpyeong, 45 kilometers east of Seoul, recorded an accumulated 526.2 mm of rain during the period, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Nine people were ki

Aug. 10, 2022

9 dead, 6 missing as heavy rain pummels Seoul capital region

A total of nine people have died and six others remain missing as the Seoul capital region is battered by its heaviest rainfall seen in 115 years, government officials announced Tuesday evening. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, five people in Seoul, three people in Gyeonggi Province and one person in Gangwon Province have died due to the heavy rain, while four people in Seoul and two others in Gyeonggi Province have been declared missing, as of 6 p.m.

Aug. 9, 2022

[Photo News] A look at viral photos and images from Seoul floods

  While torrential rains were punishing Seoul on Monday night, social media exploded with users sharing images and videos of flash floods swamping roads, subway stations and buses. Here are some of the viral photos and tweets from the chaotic evening. 1) Identity of the “Seocho-dong guru” remains in mystery  A man wearing a suit and using his smartphone while sitting on the roof of his submerged car in Seocho-dong, Gangnam-gu, shocked many on Monday evening. The exa

Aug. 9, 2022

Rain stalls Tuesday evening commute

A subway line running through the north of Seoul was suspended temporarily early Tuesday evening as rain intensified.  The Seoul metropolitan office said nine stops on Line No. 3 from Samsong to Daehwa that travel across Goyang, a city in Gyeonggi Province, had to stop operation for an hour from 5:40 p.m. In northwestern Seoul and other cities in northern Gyeonggi Province, several roads were closed due to flooding starting at around 6 p.m. The downpour, which the weather aut

Aug. 9, 2022

Unusual rainband behind record downpour

Monday’s record-breaking downpour was caused by an unusual rainband formation over the Korean Peninsula, experts say, with more rain on the way. Every year, South Korea suffers heavy rainfall in the period between July and August, during which almost two thirds of annual rainfall occurs. A rainband generally comes between June and July, while another one may occur in late August or early September. It is rather unusual for the second rainband to come in early August, particularly a stro

Aug. 9, 2022

[KH Explains] Why is ‘invincible Gangnam’ prone to flooding?

Record-breaking torrential downpours swamped many parts of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province on Monday. But the hardest hit area in the region was Gangnam, the capital’s affluent residential district, and its surrounding neighborhoods. Images and videos of people wading through knee-high water near Gangnam Station and cars submerged underwater and left stranded in the middle of the road in nearby Daechi-dong went viral. This is not the first time that neighborhoods in southern Seoul have suf

Aug. 9, 2022

School entry age scheme on verge of withdrawal

With the education minister offering her resignation, the controversial plan to lower the school entry age to 5 could be shelved, nearly 10 days after it was first introduced. The Education Ministry on Tuesday apologized for a lack of communication concerning the previous report to the president, which proposed the system reform, saying it caused confusion.　 “It has become realistically difficult to push for the lowering of school entry age,” Vice Education Minister Jang Sang-yoon

Aug. 9, 2022

Seoul commuters battle fallout from intense rain

Hundreds of thousands of commuters on Tuesday trudged through Seoul’s battered roads and public transit pummeled by record-breaking downpour. According to the Seoul metropolitan office, some of the roads along the Han River that cut across the middle of the capital had to be closed for several hours this morning for safety. “Water still covers roads in many places, and they are just not passable,” a Seoul official told The Korea Herald on Tuesday morning. Most of the roads

Aug. 9, 2022

[Newsmaker] Brace for more torrential rain, weather agency warns

Heavy rainfall is expected to continue throughout Friday in Seoul and across other already-battered cities in the country, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Tuesday. The state-run agency’s warning put local authorities on alert for the possibility of additional damages after torrential downpour sparked flash floods and landslides overnight Monday, resulting in at least eight deaths. Seoul saw the largest amount of precipitation in a day since weather record-keeping began in 1

Aug. 9, 2022

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visits site damaged by heavy rain

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Tuesday morning visited an apartment complex in Sadang-dong in Seoul to survey the area, after torrential rain hit Seoul and the surrounding areas from late Monday into the next morning. As part of the city’s emergency response, Oh inspected the embankment installed in the Kukdong Apartment complex that collapsed due to a landslide, according to the Seoul city government. There have been no reports of injury as a result of the collapse. Residents living in the

Aug. 9, 2022