Severe Heavy Rain Centered in the Capital Area... Road Closures and Subway Delays

Flood Advisory Issued for Dorimcheon in Seoul
Partial Suspension of Subway Line 1 and Gyeongui Line Services

Overnight, extreme heavy rain concentrated mainly in the Seoul metropolitan area including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, causing road closures in various locations and delays in train operations. No casualties have been reported so far.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 18th, as of 7:20 a.m., heavy rain warnings were issued for Incheon, Seoul, and most areas of Gyeonggi Province. Around 4 a.m., due to continuous heavy rain causing rising water levels, flood warnings were issued for Paju and Dongducheon in Gyeonggi, and at around 7:50 a.m., a flood advisory was issued for the Dorimcheon (Sindaebang 1-gyo) area in Seoul.

On the 17th, when heavy rain fell in northern Gyeonggi including Seoul, access to Hongjecheon in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul was restricted. The Korea Meteorological Administration issued a heavy rain advisory for Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

The cumulative rainfall from midnight to 5 a.m. was highest in Paju, Gyeonggi at 143.5 mm, followed by Ganghwa, Incheon at 141.3 mm, and Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi at 124.0 mm. Seoul is experiencing heavy rain of about 20 mm per hour.

Due to this heavy rain, the entire section of the Dongbu Expressway in Seoul, Surak Underpass to Seongsu JC, and the Naebu Loop (towards Seongsu) from Majang to Seongdong have been fully closed since 3 a.m. With heavy rain in northern Gyeonggi, subway Line 1 (Gyeongwon Line) between Deokjeong and Yeoncheon, and the Gyeongui Line between Munsan and Dorasan Station have also suspended operations. The Korea Railroad Corporation sent a notification stating, "Train operations on Line 1 and the Gyeongui-Jungang Line may be delayed or on standby, so please take note."

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters stated that there have been no casualties due to the heavy rain so far. However, one person died due to a livestock barn collapse in Nonsan, Chungnam, and investigations are ongoing to determine if this is related to the natural disaster.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety advised, "Do not go to dangerous areas such as riverbanks, valleys, steep slopes, and agricultural waterways, and evacuate immediately if evacuation orders are issued."