Record downpour leaves one dead in southeastern Korea

Southeastern Korea experienced an extreme downpour on Monday, with 124.5 millimeters (4.9 inches) of rain falling in just one hour in Geoje, South Gyeongsang.

Torrential rain has already caused casualties, so the forecast of more rain has led to mounting concerns about further damage.

As of 9 a.m. on Monday, parts of the southern coast of South Gyeongsang and South Jeolla were seeing very heavy rainfall of around 30 millimeters per hour, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

Geoje recorded 810.2 millimeters of cumulative rainfall from Saturday through 9 a.m. on Monday. In the early hours of Monday, rainfall peaked at 124.5 millimeters per hour, the highest one-hour rainfall recorded in the city since observations began in 1972. The previous record was 96.5 millimeters, set on July 5, 2001.

The figure was also the fourth-highest hourly rainfall ever recorded by Korea’s Automated Synoptic Observing System, including from stations that have since closed. The three other records were 152.2 millimeters in Gunsan, North Jeolla, on Sept. 7, 2025; 145 millimeters in Juam-myeon, South Jeolla, on July 31, 1998; and 131.7 millimeters in Gunsan on July 10, 2024.

Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang and Gadeok Island in Busan received 678.9 millimeters and 435.5 millimeters of rain, respectively. Gadeok Island also saw extreme rainfall of 101.5 millimeters per hour, and Tongyeong recorded 97.4 millimeters per hour.

The record-breaking downpours also caused casualties.

At around 4:32 a.m. on Monday, a landslide buried the first floor of an apartment building in Okpo-dong in Geoje, according to fire authorities.

One person was taken to a hospital while unconscious and later died, and two others suffered minor injuries. At around 5:05 a.m., another landslide struck Sanyang-eup in Tongyeong and buried one person, who was later rescued.

“Through this morning, parts of the Gyeongsang region, eastern South Jeolla and Jeju Island are expected to see heavy rainfall of 20 to 30 millimeters per hour, accompanied by gusty winds, thunder and lightning,” the KMA said. “People are advised to take particular caution against landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and other weather-related hazards.”

BY CHON KWON-PIL [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]