▲ On Saturday (June 20), the Namdaecheon Stream swelled due to heavy rain in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, leading to the closure of a temporary wooden bridge (seopdari) installed for the Gangneung Danoje Festival.
Heavy rain fell across the country on Saturday, coupled with strong winds, causing various damages nationwide.
Although no casualties were reported from the two-day rainfall that began on Friday (June 19), rescue operations were carried out due to flooded factories and people stranded near rivers. Additionally, trails in major national parks, including Mount Halla and Mount Seorak, were closed, and local festivals were disrupted.
In Daejeon, Sejong, and South Chungcheong Province, where heavy rain of around 20 mm per hour fell on Saturday morning, about 50 reports of wind and flood damage were received.
At around 6:06 a.m. on Saturday, fire authorities responded to a 119 call from a fisherman at Gokgyo Stream in Silok-dong, Asan, South Chungcheong Province, who reported being stranded as the river swelled while he was fishing.
At around 5:51 a.m., a single-vehicle accident occurred on a slope in Godae-myeon, Dangjin, and the driver was taken to a hospital.
In Samgoe-dong, Dong-gu, Daejeon, a taxi driving in the rain overturned, and fire authorities rescued the driver and transported them to a nearby hospital.
Wind and rain also battered Gangwon Province, Jeju Island, and Busan, leading to the closure of national park trails and local festivals, as well as flooded factories and other weather-related damage.
With 207.5 mm of rain pouring down on Misiryeong in Gangwon Province, the Seoraksan National Park Office of the Korea National Park Service has completely closed high-altitude trails starting from 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Gangneung, which received heavy rainfall including 169.8 mm in northern Gangneung and 170.5 mm in Jumunjin, canceled some events or moved them indoors for the ongoing Gangneung Danoje Festival, which opened on June 15.
The Mount Halla National Park Office in Jeju, where more than 150 mm of rain fell over two days, has also completely closed five of its seven trails: Eorimok, Yeongsil, Donnaeko, Gwaneumsa, and Seongpanak.
Particularly in Jeju, strong winds starting Saturday morning led to numerous reports of fallen trees across Jeju City and Seogwipo City.
At around 11:09 a.m., a report was received in Ildo 1-dong, Jeju City, that a tower crane was shaking in the strong winds, and at around 9:10 a.m., another report was filed in Yeongpyeong-dong, Jeju City, about a banner being blown away by the wind.
As of 2 p.m., the maximum daily instantaneous wind speeds recorded were 23.6 meters per second at Samgakbong on Mount Halla, 21.4 meters per second at Jeju Airport, 21.1 meters per second in Yusuam, 18.3 meters per second in Jeju City, and 17.4 meters per second in Gosan.
Earlier, at around 5:37 a.m. on Saturday, a flooding incident was reported at a factory in Gijang-gun, Busan, prompting fire authorities to take safety measures.
Around the same time, a water tank blown by strong winds landed on an SUV in Yongho-dong, Nam-gu, shattering its windows.
In Gamjeon-dong, Sasang-gu, a store sign fell.
In Ulsan, reports were received of street trees falling on roads in Yongyeon-dong and Yongjam-dong in Nam-gu. Traffic lights malfunctioned at Nammok Intersection in Dong-gu around 8 a.m. and at Hakseong Three-way Intersection in Jung-gu around 8:46 a.m., prompting traffic police to direct vehicles manually.
Between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, about 20 reports of fallen trees were also received across South Gyeongsang Province.
Similar reports of fallen trees were received in Bonghwa, Mungyeong, Andong, Gumi, and Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province, with authorities taking action.
The Korea Forest Service raised the landslide crisis alert level for Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces from 'attention' to 'caution' as of 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The landslide crisis alert system is divided into four levels: attention, caution, alert, and serious. The remaining 15 cities and provinces maintain the 'attention' level.
A Korea Forest Service official urged, "Residents in areas with heavy rain forecasts should refrain from outdoor activities near forests and avoid landslide-prone and other dangerous areas. Please pay close attention to evacuation instructions from emergency disaster texts and village broadcasts, and evacuate quickly to designated shelters, such as village halls, if an evacuation order is issued."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.