A devastating weekend of rainfall has left South Gyeongsang Province in southwestern South Korea reeling, with the city of Geoje recording 805.7 mm of rain between Saturday and 8 a.m. Monday — one of the heaviest accumulations in the region in recent memory. A landslide triggered by the downpours struck an apartment building, killing one resident and prompting a government emergency response.

The Landslide and Casualties

At 4:42 a.m. Monday, a landslide tore through a neighbourhood in Geoje, slamming into an apartment building. Police and firefighters pulled three residents from the debris, but one was found in cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. A separate landslide struck a house in another neighbourhood after streams overflowed, though no casualties were reported in that incident.

Scale of the Rainfall

Neighbouring Tongyeong received 671.9 mm of rain over the same period, while other parts of the province recorded between 240 mm and 340 mm. As of Monday morning, both Geoje and Tongyeong were experiencing rainfall of up to 100 mm per hour, with forecasters projecting an additional 150 mm across parts of the province through the day. Heavy rain warnings remained in effect across five areas of the province, including Geoje and Tongyeong, with lower-level advisories covering much of the wider region.

Damage on the Ground

The floods inundated 12 schools and kindergartens in Geoje and Tongyeong by Monday morning. Firefighters in Geoje responded to more than 20 emergency calls overnight from residents reporting rain-related accidents and damage. Several streams burst their banks, flooding roads and compounding the disruption across the province.

Government Response

The interior ministry activated a Level 1 emergency response — the lowest tier — at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung called for all-out efforts to protect lives, while Prime Minister Han Seong-sook directed police, firefighters, and other authorities to prioritise rescuing stranded residents and those at risk. The activation signals a coordinated federal response, even as local teams remain the primary line of defence on the ground.

What Comes Next

With rainfall forecast to continue through Monday and warnings still active, authorities are on high alert for further landslides and flash flooding. The full extent of infrastructure damage — to roads, drainage systems, and residential structures — is expected to become clearer once the rain subsides and assessment teams can safely access affected areas.