GEOJE, South Korea — A deadly landslide has struck southern South Korea after an extraordinary burst of rainfall, killing one person and injuring three others as authorities scramble to evacuate residents and prevent further casualties.
The landslide hit a residential apartment building in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, early Monday, Aug. 17, burying the building’s first floor under mud and debris. Rescue teams pulled three residents from the affected structure, but one was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The disaster came after days of torrential rain that have battered South Korea’s southeastern region.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Geoje recorded 805.7 millimeters of rain between Saturday and 8 a.m. Monday, while nearby Tongyeong received 671.9 millimeters over the same period. Some parts of South Gyeongsang Province recorded between 240 and 340 millimeters.
The scale of the rainfall has overwhelmed waterways and triggered widespread flooding.
Streams in Geoje spilled over their banks, roads were inundated and residents became stranded in several areas. Firefighters also received more than 20 emergency calls overnight involving rain-related accidents and damage.
Authorities Race Against More Rain
The immediate danger may not be over.
South Korea’s weather authorities continued to issue heavy-rain warnings across parts of South Gyeongsang Province on Monday. Geoje and Tongyeong were experiencing rainfall of up to 100 millimeters per hour, while forecasters warned that some areas could receive another 150 millimeters during the day.
Reuters reported that around 100 residents in Geoje were being evacuated because of the risk of additional landslides, while emergency authorities were working to rescue about 20 people stranded in the area.
The Korea Herald likewise reported that authorities ordered residents in affected areas to evacuate as torrential rain continued to batter Geoje during the Liberation Day holiday period.
The combination of saturated ground, overflowing waterways and continuing rainfall has raised fears that more landslides and flooding could follow.
A Region Under Pressure
Geoje, a coastal city more than 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, has been among the hardest-hit areas in the latest weather event.
The rainfall has been accompanied by thunderstorms, while roads and waterways have become increasingly difficult to navigate. The Straits Times, citing Reuters, reported that flooding had disrupted traffic and left residents stranded, with authorities continuing evacuation and rescue operations.
For residents, the danger is no longer simply the rain itself.
Once the soil becomes heavily saturated, slopes can become unstable, increasing the possibility of sudden landslides even after rainfall temporarily weakens. That is why authorities are moving residents away from vulnerable areas while emergency teams remain on alert.
The Bigger Warning
The latest disaster comes after South Korea endured another devastating period of extreme rainfall and landslides in July 2025, when torrential rain killed at least 18 people and left nine missing, according to Reuters.
That earlier disaster prompted renewed attention to South Korea’s vulnerability to increasingly intense rainfall and the need for faster, more localized disaster responses.
Now, as Geoje faces another major deluge, emergency crews are confronting a critical question: will the rain finally ease before already-saturated slopes give way again?
For now, authorities remain on high alert, with evacuations, rescues and monitoring operations continuing as more rain threatens the region.
Leave a Reply