Showers aren't over yet as rain front returns to South Korea

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Showers aren't over yet as rain front returns to South Korea

Published: 15 Aug. 2022, 17:18

Emergency personnel on Monday continue their search efforts for an elderly couple who went missing in Wonju, Gangwon on Aug. 9. [YONHAP]

More heavy showers are expected over the central regions of the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday, according to the Korean Meteorological Administration, as the country continues to reel from last week's soaking.

A seasonal rain front that brought unprecedented precipitation to the greater Seoul area, Gangwon, and North and South Chungcheong early last week is expected to return after stalling over North Korea.

The weather in central regions of the country is expected to clear up by Tuesday morning, but heavy rains are likely in southern parts of the peninsula as the seasonal front shifts in the afternoon.

The latter regions reported a heat wave Monday, with parts of the southeastern Gyeongsang region reporting a temperature of 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in the afternoon.

People pack Haeundae Beach in the southern city of Busan on Monday. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

Haeundae Beach in Busan, a popular tourist and summer holiday destination, was packed with vacationers Monday, the last day of a long holiday weekend.

Most of the country will receive between 30 and 100 millimeters (1.18 to 3.93 inches) of rain over the course of Tuesday, according to the country’s weather agency.

The eastern coast of the peninsula along Gangwon and North and South Gyeongsang, as well as the southern island of Jeju, are expected to receive less rain than other areas.

The forecast of more rain comes as the Central Disaster Management Headquarters reported Sunday that a total of 14 people died as a result of flash floods and landslides caused by unprecedented rain last week, with six people remaining missing.

Eight of the dead were in Seoul, while four people died in neighboring Gyeonggi and two died in Gangwon.

Twenty-six people sustained injuries as a result of the rain last week. Twenty-three of those injured were from Gyeonggi, which reported 175 landslides out of a total of 262 nationwide.

Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and South Chungcheong have each reported two people missing.

Authorities are searching for two people in Buyeo, South Chungcheong who went missing on Saturday after their pick-up truck was swept away near a stream during an overnight storm.

Approximately 110 millimeters of rain fell in Buyeo on Saturday night.

Search efforts are also still underway in Wonju, Gangwon, where an elderly couple went missing on Aug. 9.

Over 8,900 buildings have been reported damaged by flooding as of Monday, of which 7,955 were located in Seoul.

Last week’s rains also flooded approximately 1,754 hectares (4,334 acres) of agricultural land, over two thirds of which is located in South Chungcheong, which received heavy rain overnight between Aug. 9 and 10.

Some 7,600 people were forced to evacuate during last week’s rains, with 1,345 evacuees displaced due to damage to their residences. A further 3,796 people remain in shelters.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]