South Korea Floods and Landslides: Death Toll Reaches 17

As of Sunday, July 20, 2025, torrential rains in South Korea have caused widespread flooding and landslides, leading to a rising death toll.¹ The latest reports indicate that 17 people have died and 11 others are missing across the country.²

Here’s a summary of the situation:

Duration of Rainfall: The heavy rains have been ongoing for five days, starting around Wednesday, July 16, 2025.³
Affected Regions: The central and southern regions of South Korea have been particularly hard-hit.⁴
- Sancheong County (southern part): This rural town has recorded the highest number of casualties, with 10 deaths and four people missing due to heavy downpours, landslides, and flash floods. An unprecedented county-wide evacuation order was issued.⁵
- Gapyeong (northeast of Seoul): This resort town has seen two deaths and five missing. A landslide engulfed houses, and flooding swept away vehicles.⁶
- Other areas: Fatalities and missing persons have also been reported in Gwangju, Osan (south of Seoul), Seosan, and Dangjin (both in South Chungcheong Province).⁷
Impact:
- Landslides: Numerous landslides have occurred, burying homes and sweeping away cars.⁸
- Flooding: Roads and residential areas have been submerged, and floodwaters have swept away vehicles.⁹
- Evacuations: Over 12,921 people from 9,504 households have been evacuated across 14 major cities and provinces.¹⁰
- Damage: Authorities have reported thousands of cases of damage to public infrastructure (flooded roads, collapsed river facilities) and private property (homes, farmlands).¹¹ Power outages have also affected thousands of households.¹²
Weather Outlook: While the torrential rain has largely subsided across most of the country on Sunday, with heavy rain alerts being lifted, a blistering heatwave is forecast to follow later in the week.¹³
Response: President Lee Jae Myung has expressed sympathy for those affected and stated that the government plans to designate the hardest-hit areas as special disaster zones to provide greater financial and recovery support.¹⁴ Interior Minister Yoon Ho Jung has urged local authorities to deploy all available resources for emergency restoration.¹⁵
Climate Change: Experts and official weather data suggest that these intense downpours, with some of the heaviest hourly rainfall on record, are consistent with the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events due to climate change. South Korea experienced similar record-breaking rains and flooding in 2022.¹⁶