The Ministry of Environment and Korea National Park Service will expand the operation of the 'Rain Radar Disaster Forecast and Warning System,' which broadcasts evacuation alerts 50 minutes before expected heavy rainfall, to 17 mountainous national parks including Jirisan and Seoraksan starting June 13.
This system is characterized by its radar's ability to observe the amount of rainfall horizontally per unit area beneath clouds. When localized torrential rain is predicted, it is linked with automatic rainfall warning facilities within national parks to broadcast pre-evacuation alerts.
According to the Ministry of Environment, because national parks are mostly mountainous, the water level in valleys can rise rapidly during heavy rainfall, making it extremely important to secure sufficient time for early evacuation.
The Ministry and the Park Service explained that, in preparation for such situations, they have reviewed the applicability of rain radar prediction data since 2022 and have studied ways to share and link related data.
The Ministry and the Park Service have determined that this system is effective in preventing casualties, and have decided to expand its operation to 44 districts in 17 mountainous national parks nationwide. They expect that the full implementation of a disaster forecast and warning system tailored to national parks will help prevent accidents among park visitors.
In addition, the Park Service has established a summer natural disaster response plan and completed inspections of 144 areas of concern for human casualties and 915 disaster-prone districts. In the event of weather advisories such as heavy rain or typhoons, they plan to immediately restrict access to trails for visitor safety and ensure a prompt response to disaster situations through a 24-hour integrated situation room.
Kim Taeo, Director General of the Nature Conservation Bureau at the Ministry of Environment, said, "We will protect the safety of visitors to national parks through thorough preparation and swift on-site response."
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