More Than 120mm of Rain Overnight Forces Residents to Evacuate... Government Activates Level 2 Emergency Response Headquarters

Crisis Alert Raised to "Watch" Level for Heavy Rain and Floods on the 18th
208 Cases of Property Damage, Including Flooded Homes and Roads
Prevention of Casualties Takes Priority as All Agencies Mobilize for Response

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that, following the issuance of a heavy rain warning for Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon, the crisis alert for heavy rain and flood disasters was raised to "Watch" at 4:30 AM on the 18th. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters also activated Level 2 emergency response operations.

On the 17th, when a heavy rain advisory was in effect in Daegu, a taxi was driving through a water spray at Dosan Five-way Intersection in Suseong District, Daegu. July 17, 2026 Photo by Yonhap News

With heavy rain alerts issued for many regions across the country, more than 120 mm of rain has fallen in some areas since the previous day. As of 5:00 AM today, cumulative precipitation recorded 123.5 mm in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, 120.4 mm in Boryeong, South Chungcheong, 117.5 mm in Gangseo District, Seoul, 117.5 mm in Paju, Gyeonggi, 117 mm in Ganghwa, Incheon, 116.8 mm in Dong District, Daegu, 110.5 mm in Eunpyeong District, Seoul, 110.5 mm in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang, and 108.5 mm in Goyang, Gyeonggi, among others.

While no casualties have been reported so far, property damage—including flooded homes and roads, as well as landslides and falling rocks—has reached 208 cases. Due to the risk of home flooding, six people (from two households) have evacuated in South Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang. In addition, 22 people (from 13 households) in Daegu, South Chungcheong, and North Gyeongsang have been preemptively evacuated due to concerns about landslides and retaining wall collapses.

Yun Ho-jung, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, issued the following urgent directives in response to forecasts of over 300 mm of rain in some areas of the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon through tomorrow.

He instructed all agencies to prioritize the prevention of casualties above all else by inspecting vulnerable areas such as underpasses, riverbanks, and landslide-prone zones, and to mobilize every effort to evacuate residents when risks are detected.

A vehicle was stranded in the Sinchon underpass, Nongsomyeon, Gimcheon City, at 7:38 p.m. on the 17th when a heavy rain warning was issued in Gimcheon. The driver escaped on their own. July 17, 2026, Yonhap News Agency

He also directed authorities to fully utilize all available means—including civil defense sirens, village broadcast systems, and emergency disaster text alerts—to disseminate information about dangerous situations so that campers and those at outdoor facilities can evacuate.

He requested that the safety of public officials, police officers, firefighters, and other frontline response personnel be taken into account, and called for the active promotion of public safety guidelines, such as prohibiting access to danger zones.

Yun stated, "The government will actively implement every possible measure, even if it seems excessive, to minimize casualties." He added, "We ask the public to regularly monitor weather updates and disaster alerts issued by authorities, avoid approaching dangerous areas such as slopes, low-lying regions, and riverbanks, and proactively follow all public safety guidelines."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.