Heavy rain hits South Korea causing power cuts and evacuations

The South Korean government put officials on high alert for the height of the summer monsoon season as torrential rain swept across the country on Friday, causing power cuts and forcing more than a hundred people to evacuate their homes.

Over 4,000 households have experienced power cuts in the capital, Seoul, due to the heavy rain that began on Sunday with 135 people forced to evacuate nationwide, as of 6:00 am (local time), according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety.

One person is missing in the southern city of Busan while one has been injured in South Jeolla Province.

In a meeting with government agencies, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said ensuring "no casualties were caused" was of utmost importance and ordered officials to stay on alert. More than 10,500 police were put on traffic duty and increased patrols.

Last summer, the capital city of Seoul was hit with floods caused by the heaviest rain in 115 years, inundating semi-basement flats in low-lying neighbourhoods, including in the largely affluent Gangnam district.

North Korea has also been getting heavy rains and might open floodgates at dams on rivers flowing across the border between the two Koreas, Han added.

"Heavy rain is expected in Hwanghae Province and we need to thoroughly prepare for the possibility that North Korea might release water from its Hwanggang Dam," he said, referring to the North's central region.

Such water releases, often without notice by Pyongyang, have caused sudden surge of water in rivers that in previous years caused flooding and resulted in deaths in the South.

The Unification Ministry, which handles relations with the North, said on Friday it again sent a message last month requesting notice in the event of water release but received no response.

More from International News

  • Russia and Ukraine complete largest prisoner swap

    Russia and Ukraine completed the exchange of 1,000 prisoners each on Sunday, the Russian Defence Ministry and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, in the largest such swap since the war began three years ago.

  • North Korea detains officials over warship accident

    North Korea has detained shipyard officials responsible for a recent major accident during the launch of a new warship, state media said on Sunday.

  • At least 13 killed in Russian air attack on Ukraine

    Russian forces launched a barrage of 367 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight, including the capital Kyiv, in the largest aerial attack of the war so far, killing 13 people and injuring dozens more, officials said.

  • Russia, Ukraine swap 307 soldiers on second day of POW exchange

    Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 307 of their service personnel on Saturday on the second day of a prisoner exchange that, when completed, is set to be the largest such swap in the three-year war between the two countries. U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested the prisoner swap - which should see 1,000 prisoners released on each side over three days - could herald a new phase in stop-start efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv. Saturday's swap was announced by Russia's defence ministry, and separately by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a post on social

  • Police probe arson attack in France power outage

    French police were investigating a possible arson attack as being the main cause for a power outage which hit the Alpes-Maritimes region in southern France on Saturday, including Cannes which is hosting its world-famous annual film festival.

News