Heaviest rains in 120 years leave at least 2 dead, force over 1 000 evacuations in South Korea
At least two people died and more than 1 000 were forced to evacuate after record rainfall hit South Korea on Wednesday and Thursday, July 16 and 17, 2025. Seosan in South Chungcheong Province experienced its highest hourly rainfall since records began in 1904.
Flooding in South Korea on July 17, 2025. Credit: Hatelockdown
At least two fatalities were reported as record rainfall hit South Korea on Wednesday and Thursday, prompting the evacuation of more than 1 000 people in multiple areas.
One of the fatalities involved a man in his 50s whose car was swept away in floodwaters in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province. According to local reports, he called his wife in the early hours of Thursday saying ‘the car is being swept away.’
Emergency crews located the submerged vehicle at approximately 06:15 local time (LT) and transported the man to Seosan Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities had received a report about submerged vehicles at 03:59 and rescued three people from another vehicle. Details regarding the second fatality were not immediately available.
Seosan recorded its highest-ever hourly rainfall rate of 114.9 mm (4.52 inches) on Thursday, the most since records began in 1904. By 10:00 LT on Thursday, total rainfall in Seosan had reached 419.5 mm (16.51 inches), resulting in widespread flooding in the region.
According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, Hongseong recorded 411 mm (16.18 inches) of rainfall on Thursday, followed by 376.5 mm (14.82 inches) in Dangjin and 349.5 mm (13.76 inches) in Asan. All of these locations, including Seosan, are located in South Chungcheong Province.
The coastal county of Taean, located west of Seosan, received over 300 mm (11.81 inches) of rain on Thursday. According to the ministry, 79 households from these areas underwent temporary evacuations. In total, 1 070 residents had evacuated their homes as of 10:00 LT due to the heavy rainfall.
Multiple landslides were reported across several areas as the heavy rainfall persisted. At approximately 09:35 LT on Wednesday, two residents were buried under a landslide in Cheongyang-gun, South Chungcheong Province. Fire officials stated that the residents, who sustained leg injuries, were located and transported to a local hospital by 21:50 LT on the same day.
Heavy rainfall led to school closures in several parts of South Chungcheong Province, including Yesan and Hongseong. According to the Ministry of Education, 403 schools were closed, and 166 schools reported property damage due to the rainfall.
The Interior Ministry restricted access to nearly 80 underpasses, riverside roads, and low-lying bridges in the Chungcheong region for public safety.
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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