Overnight downpours batter central S. Korea, at least 1 missing

Overnight monsoon rains battered central South Korea, triggering flooding, road accidents and emergency evacuations.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, one person was reported missing as of 4 p.m. Thursday in connection with the heavy rain. A total of 423 residents had been evacuated, and more than 215 cases of damage to public and private facilities had been reported.

The Korea Meteorological Administration said that, as of 9 a.m., downpours of up to 50 millimeters per hour were continuing across the country's central regions, including the Chungcheong, North Jeolla, southern Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces.

More than 130 ml of rain fell between midnight and 8 a.m. in Boeun and Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province. Cheonan and Gongju in neighboring South Chungcheong Province recorded over 100 millimeters of rainfall.

During the same period, Gwangju recorded 93.1 millimeters of rainfall, while Seoul and Incheon received 27.2 millimeters and 25.5 millimeters, respectively.

Torrential rain intensified around noon in Gyeonggi Province, putting all 21 cities and counties under heavy rain advisories or warnings. As of 1 p.m., the province's average cumulative rainfall had reached 87.6 millimeters, with Anseong recording the highest total at 200.5 millimeters.

In response, the Gyeonggi provincial government raised the emergency response level of its Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to Level 2, increasing staffing to 54 personnel — seven more than under the Level 1 response — to bolster inspections of rain-related damage and emergency response efforts.

Some regions saw rivers burst their banks, flooding homes and forcing residents to evacuate.

At around 6:40 a.m., 82 residents living downstream of Geoncheon Reservoir in Hoein-myeon, Boeun, North Chungcheong Province, were relocated to a community center after rising water levels raised fears that the reservoir could overflow.

Roughly an hour earlier, two residents were rescued by firefighters after becoming trapped inside a flooded home in Suhan-myeon in the same county. No casualties were reported.

Twelve residents and staff at a nursing home in Sangdang District, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, were moved to a nearby welfare facility after a retaining wall behind the building collapsed amid heavy rain, sending rocks and soil onto the property.

Parts of North Gyeongsang Province were placed under flood warnings, with authorities raising the flood risk level to "severe" for Yeongsun-myeon in Mungyeong, where the Yeong River, a tributary of the Nakdong River, flows.

"Rain falling upstream could cause water levels downstream to rise suddenly. Please avoid camping near valleys and rivers and stay away from riverside trails and underpasses because of the risk of becoming stranded," a KMA official said.

Heavy rain turned roads hazardous, with flooded roads and traffic accidents reported in multiple regions.

In Sejong, torrential rain of up to 50 millimeters per hour inundated roads, forcing some city bus routes to detour and disrupting the morning commute.

Rain-slick roads claimed a life in Cheongju, though the death was not officially classified by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters as rain-related. On Wednesday afternoon, a delivery rider in his 30s lost control of his motorcycle while changing lanes and crashed into a median barrier. He was taken to a hospital with serious injuries but later died, police said.

The downpours also disrupted rail services.

Korail suspended Mugunghwa and Saemaeul train services on several routes, including Daejeon-Seoul, Daejeon-Jecheon and Iksan-Yongsan, at around 8 a.m. due to heavy rain between Bugang and Seochang stations on the Gyeongbu Line. Services resumed about an hour later, officials said.

The KMA forecast up to 200 millimeters of additional rainfall through Friday morning, with the heaviest downpours expected in the Chungcheong and southern regions.

Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province are expected to receive an additional 30 to 80 millimeters of rain, with some parts of Gyeonggi forecast to receive more than 120 millimeters.

The inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon Province could receive 50 to 100 millimeters, while Daejeon, Sejong, the Chungcheong provinces and North Jeolla Province are forecast to receive 80 to 150 millimeters.

Once the rain subsides, heat wave conditions are expected to expand across most parts of the country. Friday's morning lows are forecast to range from 21 to 25 degrees Celsius, with daytime highs of 26 to 33 degrees.