[On-site Video] Covered in Filth and Stinking... Flood-Damaged Cars Here After 'Water Bomb'

Non-Life Insurance Industry Conducts Aftercare for Flooded Vehicles at Seoul Grand Park Parking Lot
On-Site Engineer: "Over 90% of Vehicles Received Are Beyond Repair... Essentially Total Loss"

[Asia Economy PD Yoon Jin-geun] “Ugh, the smell...”

When an on-site engineer opened the door of one of the flooded vehicles, a foul odor mixed with dampness, a fishy water smell, and filth hit the nose.

Following the heavy rain that caused flooding damage to vehicles in the Seoul metropolitan area on the 8th, non-life insurance companies are operating emergency disaster area on-site compensation services throughout Seoul and the metropolitan area.

Automobile insurance companies such as DB Insurance, Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance have rented the parking lot at Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province to handle flooded vehicle accident reports, inspections, and aftercare.

Non-life insurance companies have rented the Seoul Grand Park parking lot in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do to handle accident reports, inspections, and aftercare for vehicles flooded due to heavy rain since the 8th. The photo shows vehicles damaged by flooding being towed to the Seoul Grand Park parking lot on the afternoon of the 11th. Photo by Jin-geun Yoon PD yoon@

On the afternoon of the 11th, flooded cars were continuously brought into the Seoul Grand Park parking lot on tow trucks. On-site engineers efficiently unloaded and inspected the vehicles.

Non-life insurance companies have been renting the Seoul Grand Park parking lot in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do since the 8th to handle accident reports, inspections, and aftercare for vehicles flooded due to the heavy rain. Dirt is seen on the vehicle's headlights. Photo by Jin-geun Yoon PD yoon@

The Seoul Grand Park parking lot was filled with numerous cars ranging from domestic vehicles to famous foreign brands. The flooded cars gathered in the parking lot showed varying degrees and symptoms of flooding. Some vehicles could be identified as flooded just by their appearance, such as water inside the headlights or a large amount of debris stuck to the front intake grille. Cars with multiple layered stripe patterns, as if submerged several times, were also noticeable. Some vehicles had their wipers raised, as if flooded while driving.

Additionally, heavily flooded cars had dust and dirt not only on the driver’s and passenger’s seats but also on door handles and steering wheels. Some emitted a foul odor immediately upon opening the door due to a mixture of rainwater and filth.

Non-life insurance companies have rented the Seoul Grand Park parking lot in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, to handle accident reports, inspections, and follow-up procedures for vehicles flooded due to heavy rain since the 8th. The photo shows the interior of a vehicle damaged by flooding on the afternoon of the 11th, with debris and the owner's belongings remaining inside. Photo by Jin-geun Yoon PD yoon@

Inside some cars, automotive accessories, water bottles, photos, clothes, and shoes remained untouched, suggesting that the situation was so urgent that the owners could not even gather their belongings.

Cho Sung-jin (53), head of the Network Operations Team at DB Insurance, described the on-site situation: “We started operating the disaster area compensation service from the 9th, and about 150 vehicles have been brought in so far, with more continuously arriving.”

Cho explained that even with over 20 years of experience, he had never encountered flooding of this scale. “During the heavy rain in the Honam region in September 2020, our company alone handled 400 to 500 flooded vehicles, but there was no flooding on this large a scale,” he said.

Non-life insurance companies have rented the parking lot at Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, since the heavy rain that began on the 8th, to handle accident reports, inspections, and aftercare for flood-damaged vehicles. The photo shows vehicles parked in the Seoul Grand Park parking lot on the afternoon of the 11th, where the height of the mud indicates that the water level reached up to the car roofs. Photo by Jin-geun Yoon PD yoon@

When asked about the possibility of vehicle repairs, Cho said, “More than 90% are not repairable.” With about 20 years of experience in the compensation team, he added, “Although we don’t test with electronic equipment, by examining internal components like the air cleaner or ignition system, we can judge whether the car can be repaired and used.” Currently, most vehicles are declared total losses and sold after obtaining the customer’s (owner’s) consent, he explained.

Earlier, due to the heavy rain from the 8th to the 9th in areas such as Gangnam Station and other parts of the metropolitan area, it was estimated that over 7,000 vehicles were flooded. According to the industry, as of the afternoon of the 10th, a total of 7,678 flooded vehicle claims had been reported to 12 non-life insurance companies. The damage amount reached approximately 97.76 billion KRW.