2020 Korean floods

Since June 2020, floods have severely impacted large areas of both North and South Korea due to heavy rains of the regional rainy season, primarily in the far southern parts of the Korean Peninsula. These floods are closely related to ones across China and in Kyushu, Japan. As of 9 August 2020, 30 people have died in South Korea as a result.[1]

2020 Korean floods
DateJune 2020 – present
LocationKorean Peninsula, especially southern South Korea
Deaths30 (As of 9 August 2020[1])
Property damage9,491 houses were damaged.
9,317 hectare of farmland were submerged.
(As of 9 August 2020[1])

The monsoon rainy season began in South Korea in late June.[2] In early July, Busan was flooded following heavy rains.[3] Late July again saw heavy downpours and strong winds hit southeastern areas of South Korea, killing several people and causing more damage.[4] In mid-July, a Korea Meteorological Administration official stated that "the rainy season began on Jeju Island on June 10 and in the southern and central regions on June 24. Generally, the wet season ends in those areas in late July, though the exact period differs from region to region."[5]

August, however, witnessed a continuation of the seasonal rains with flooding all over South Korea, while most damage and fatalities continued to be in the southern areas.[6] Evacuees and local officials raised concerns regarding emergency shelter given the simultaneously ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

The floods worsened as Typhoon Hagupit and Tropical Storm Jangmi dropped more rainfall over the Korean Peninsula in August 2020.[8]

As of 8 August 2020, the 2020 rainy season is the second longest on record after the 2013 season.[6]

Accurate information on the effects of the rains in North Korea is hard to come by, but the North is typically highly susceptible to seasonal flood damage.[6] The Korean Central News Agency reported damage in North Korea, but no fatalities.[9] Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un was reported on 7 August to have inspected flood-damaged areas of North Hwanghae Province, adjacent to South Korea.[9] There are concerns that the late flooding in 2020 could interfere with the North's food harvest and precipitate a threat to the dictatorship's food security.[6][9]

References
  1. "9일째 이어진 폭우, 사상자 속출…30명 숨지고 12명 실종" [9th day of heavy rain, 30 dead and 12 missing]. JoongAng Ilbo. 9 August 2020.
  2. Ko Jun-tae. "2020 monsoon season to start Wednesday." The Korea Herald. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  3. "Busan soaked by sixth-heaviest downpour in two decades." Yonhap News Agency. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  4. "Heavy downpours pummel S. Korea, unleash flash floods, leave 4 dead or missing." The Korea Herald. (Yonhap) 24 July 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  5. "Southern South Korea hit by devastating downpours." Yonhap News Agency. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  6. "South Korea floods, landslides kill 26 as heavy rains continue." Channel News Asia. (Reuters) 8 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  7. "COVID-19 complicates South Korea flood response as hundreds gather in shelters." Channel News Asia. (Reuters) 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020
  8. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/south-korea-floods-landslides-kill-dozens-displace-thousands-200809034627417.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. "Food supply a concern amid N. Korea floods." The Star. (Reuters) 8 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.

See also
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