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Police search streams and irrigation channels after receiving a report around 10:30 a.m. on August 31, under a heavy rain warning, that a person in their 70s went missing after going out to a rice paddy in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk. / Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency

Two people have gone missing in Jeonbuk Province due to torrential rains that have continued since the 28th of last month, prompting fire authorities to launch search operations. Nearly 580 mm of rain poured down on Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, over four days, and access to more than 1,900 high-risk areas across the nation, including riverside areas, has been restricted.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 1st, a provisional tally as of 5:00 a.m. that day showed a total of two missing persons, one each in Jeongeup and Gochang, Jeonbuk Province. In Jeongeup, contact was lost with a 73-year-old man after he went out to check an irrigation channel, while in Gochang, a 67-year-old man lost contact while working in a vinyl greenhouse. Authorities launched an on-site search starting at 6:30 a.m. that day while investigating the exact circumstances behind their disappearances.

From midnight on the 28th of last month to 5:00 a.m. that day, the highest cumulative precipitation was recorded in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, at 579.5 mm. It was followed by Gunsan in Jeonbuk Province with 358.6 mm, Seocheon in South Chungcheong Province with 311.5 mm, Buyeo with 280.5 mm, and Boseong in South Jeolla Province with 264.6 mm. The maximum hourly precipitation reached 124.6 mm in Boseong, South Jeolla Province, 107.5 mm in Yeonggwang, and 99.0 mm in Dong-gu, Ulsan.

The extent of property damage is currently under investigation. In Nonsan and Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province, sudden gusts on the 28th of last month provisionally damaged one house, one warehouse, and 200 vinyl greenhouse facilities. Fire authorities conducted a total of 589 safety measures in connection with this downpour, including responses to road obstructions, flooded homes, and soil/rock slides.

In preparation for heavy rain, 79 sections across four national parks and 1,956 hazardous sections, including riverside paths, riverside parking lots, and underpasses, were closed. Expressways, railways, flights, and passenger ferries are operating normally.

Eighty-three residents also temporarily evacuated. As of 4:00 a.m., 83 people from 60 households across 11 cities, counties, and districts in six provinces and metropolitan cities had evacuated temporarily, with 29 people from 18 households still unable to return home. Twenty-two people from 13 households are staying in temporary living facilities.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters raised the heavy rain and lightning disaster crisis alert level from "Interest" to "Caution" at 5:00 p.m. on the 30th of last month and activated Level 1 of the Central Headquarters. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety instructed local governments and related bodies to conduct intensive inspections of vulnerable areas, including landslide-prone zones, steep slopes, embankments, and retaining walls, and to swiftly restrict access to dangerous areas.

As of 5:00 a.m. that day, all heavy rain advisories had been lifted, but a flood warning remains in effect for Guman Bridge on the Sapgyocheon Stream in Yesan County. Landslide advisories have also been issued for Anseong in Gyeonggi Province, as well as Seosan, Yesan, Hongseong, Buyeo, Boryeong, Seocheon, and Taean in South Chungcheong Province.

Meteorological authorities forecasted that light rain would continue centered on the west coast of South Chungcheong Province through the morning, while localized showers are expected across southern regions and Jeju Island from the afternoon into the evening. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters plans to keep monitoring weather conditions while maintaining inspections and access controls in high-risk areas.

                                                                                                        Kim Nam-hyung