Torrential rains leave dozens dead or missing, thousands displaced

A village is damaged by a landslide in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province on July 19, 2025. Yonhap

SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Torrential downpours across the country have left at least 14 people dead and 12 others missing, while forcing thousands to flee their homes, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on Sunday.

As relentless heavy rain battered mostly southern part of the country for about a week since last Wednesday, flooding and landslides caused casualties in Osan, Gyeonggi Province; Seosan and Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province; and Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province, while several others remain missing.

Around 13,000 residents from 9,694 households have evacuated across 14 cities and provincial areas. As many small towns and villages were submerged, some 9,504 homes were damaged and about 4,000 facilities and rice paddies were destroyed.

South Gyeongsang Province was hit hardest, with Sancheong seeing 793.5 mm of rainfall in cumulative precipitation, followed by 699 mm in Hapcheon, 621.5 mm in Hadong, 600 mm in Changnyeong, 584.5 mm in Haman, and 578.3 mm in Seosan.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), a sweltering heat wave accompanied by tropical nights, when temperatures do not drop below 25 degrees Celsius, is expected to return with a vengeance in the coming week as the monsoon season ends, despite some sporadic downpours in some mountainous areas.

Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung instructed officials to swiftly designate areas affected by heavy rains as special disaster zones, according to his spokesperson Kang Yu-jung.

Special disaster zones are entitled to disaster relief for damage recovery, as well as tax benefits and other forms of support.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com