Severe torrential rains battered Seoul, Incheon, and northern Gyeonggi Province for a second consecutive day, causing widespread flooding, sinkholes, and emergency evacuations.
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| Gangnam market in Incheon |
According to South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety on August 14, hundreds of residents were forced to evacuate: 202 people from 124 households in Seoul, 238 people from 173 households in Incheon, and 293 people from 203 households in Gyeonggi. Authorities reported 118 cases of building flooding, 187 road floods, 29 landslides, and 26 farmland inundations.
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| Gayang bridge in Seoul |
The Gayang Bridge in Seoul — sitting higher than the Han River — was partially underwater for the first time on record, forcing vehicles to crawl through waves. The Olympic Expressway from World Cup Bridge to Gayang Bridge was completely closed. In Gangbuk, the swollen Uicheon stream swept away public art installations.
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| Street in front of Gangnam Apartment in Incheon |
Incheon faced similar chaos, with the Gangnam Market parking lot and basement shops submerged, cars almost completely underwater, and household appliances floating in floodwaters. Viral clips showed escalators in a basement supermarket turning into waterfalls.
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| Cars was submerged in water in Goyang. |
By 6 a.m., rainfall totals reached 309.6mm in Paju, 272.5mm on Incheon’s Yeongjong Island, 270.5mm in Dongducheon, and 249.5mm in Goyang. Police have closed riverbank parking lots, tunnels, and low-lying roads in areas at risk of further flooding.
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| Seoul Subway Line 3 was suspended during the torrential rain |
Transport was also disrupted, with parts of Seoul Subway Line 3 and the Gyeongui–Jungang Line suspended or skipping stations. Many streets were transformed into rivers, forcing some drivers to abandon their vehicles.
Learn Korean Through This News
Korean Text
어제 수도권 곳곳에 200mm가 넘는 집중호우가 쏟아졌습니다. 3명이 숨지고 도로 곳곳이 침수됐습니다. 오늘도 중부지방을 중심으로 최대 150mm의 비가 더 내릴 전망이어서 피해가 커질 수 있습니다.
Key Vocabulary
- 수도권 – Seoul metropolitan area
- 곳곳 – various places, all over
- 200mm가 넘다 – to exceed 200 millimeters
- 집중호우 – heavy rain, torrential downpour
- 쏟아지다 – to pour down heavily
- 숨지다 – to die, to be killed
- 침수되다 – to be flooded, submerged
- 중부지방 – central region of the country
- 전망 – forecast, outlook
- 피해 – damage, harm
English Translation
Yesterday, heavy rain exceeding 200 millimeters poured down across the Seoul metropolitan area. Three people were killed, and roads in many places were flooded. As up to 150 millimeters of additional rain is expected today, mainly in the central region, the damage could worsen.
Source: donga news, joongang news, choson news, yonhap news, mbc news
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