Record-breaking rains cause fatalities as road, train closures toss Korea into chaos

Korea was battered by record-breaking rains on Thursday that flooded cities, collapsed roads, shut down schools and brought train networks to a halt, leaving at least two people dead and forcing the government to activate its highest-level emergency response.

Seosan, a city in South Chungcheong, became the epicenter of the chaos after more than 438 millimeters (17.2 inches) of rain fell over just half a day — breaking a daily record set in 1999 — with a staggering 114.9 millimeters falling in a single hour, an event the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) called a once-in-a-century occurrence.

The damage was widespread. In South Chungcheong, at least 84 households and 124 residents in Buyeo and Seocheon were evacuated to community centers and schools as rivers surged over their banks. Around 50 residents near Dangjin Stream were also moved to safety, while landslides in Cheongyang buried two people, both later rescued with leg injuries.

In Daejeon and the capital Seoul, local governments issued flood warnings, closed streams and banned access to vulnerable bridges. Seoul’s transport authorities shut roads near the Jeungsan and Jungam bridges. By evening, Seoul Metro resumed subway operations on Line No. 1 and Line No. 4, which had been suspended since early morning, but warned that trains were moving “very slowly” as commuters poured into stations after work.

Gwangju was among the hardest hit by Thursday evening. By 5 p.m., floodwaters had submerged a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) stretch of the Honam Expressway between Donggwangju and Seogwangju interchanges, forcing a full shutdown in both directions and leaving drivers scrambling for detours.

Across the region, emergency crews scrambled. In Naju’s Wangok-myeon in South Jeolla, firefighters pulled a driver from a submerged car. In Bitgaram-dong, authorities evacuated an apartment building on reports that its roof was at risk of collapse.

Nationwide, Korail suspended train services on major arteries, including between Seoul and Daejeon, Dongdaegu and Busan on the Gyeongbu Line, and between Yongsan and Seodaejeon and GwangjuSongjeong and Mokpo on the Honam Line. Portions of the Janghang and Seohae Lines were also shut down. As of 7 p.m. Thursday, no timeline had been set for the resumption of service.

The education sector was thrown into disarray. More than 400 schools closed, including 155 in Asan, 95 in Seosan, 69 in Yesan, and 68 in Hongseong. The Ministry of Education reported that 166 schools suffered property damage, with water leaks and collapsed materials common.

At least two deaths were confirmed by the evening. In Seosan, a man in his 50s was found dead inside a submerged car. A day earlier, in Osan, Gyeonggi, a retaining wall collapsed onto a vehicle, killing one.

By Thursday afternoon, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters escalated the national weather crisis alert to Level 3, the highest tier — a move taken only twice in recent years. Acting Ministry of the Interior and Safety Kim Min-jae urged local governments to carry out preemptive evacuations, pledging central funding for all related costs.

“The government will mobilize all available resources,” Kim said, warning residents to avoid rivers, slopes and low-lying areas.

With the KMA forecasting rainfall of 30 to 50 millimeters per hour overnight — and some regions bracing for as much as 80 millimeters per hour — officials prepared rainwater basins and reservoirs in Seoul, bracing for a storm expected to drag into the weekend.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE, SHIN MIN-HEE, YOON SO-YEON [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]