The Korea Forest Service announced that, as of 6:30 a.m. on July 17, it would raise the landslide crisis alert level from "Alert" to "Severe" for the Daejeon, Sejong, South Chungcheong, and North Chungcheong regions, and from "Caution" to "Alert" for the Gyeonggi and Gangwon regions, respectively.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heavy rain advisories have been issued for the central region and the northwestern part of North Jeolla Province. In the central region, heavy rainfall is currently occurring at a rate of 20 to 50 millimeters per hour (with more than 80 millimeters per hour in the southern coastal area of South Chungcheong).
In particular, the Chungcheong area, including Daejeon, is forecast to receive 50 to 150 millimeters of rain on this day (with some areas expected to receive more than 180 millimeters), significantly increasing the risk of landslides.
In response, the Korea Forest Service stated that it would raise the landslide crisis alert level for the four cities and provinces in the Chungcheong region, as well as for the two cities and provinces in Gyeonggi and Gangwon, after comprehensively considering the rainfall outlook and the amount of preceding rainfall.
Lim Sangseop, Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, said, "There was a significant amount of preceding rainfall in the Chungcheong region early this morning, and with heavy rain also forecast for the central region, I urge the public to pay close attention to emergency disaster text messages (CBS) and village broadcasts, and to be prepared for any possible situation."
The landslide crisis alert system consists of four levels: Interest, Caution, Alert, and Severe. Currently, most regions except for the Chungcheong, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon areas (including Seoul, Incheon, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Ulsan, North Jeolla, South Jeolla, North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang, and Jeju) remain at the "Caution" level for landslide crisis alerts.
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