Man killed in Muan as torrential rainfall lashes S. Korea; new normal disaster?

Torrential rains swept across the nation over the weekend, killing one person in the southern county of Muan.

This recent pattern of extreme rainfall followed by heatwaves, experts say, may be the new normal.

Our Park Kun-woo reports.

One man died on Sunday evening as heavy rain pounded the southern regions of South Korea.

The man in his 60s was killed in Muan after being swept away while trying to redirect floodwaters away from his greenhouse.

Over 142 millimeters of rain fell in just one hour in Muan-gun County , in Jeollanam-do Province, making it one of the heaviest hourly rainfalls recorded since related data was first compiled in 1973.

Muan, on average, sees annual rain of around 1-thousand-3-hundred millimeters, meaning just over 10 percent of that fell in a single hour.

"A massive amount of moisture had already been present near the Korean peninsula, with a high-pressure system expanding from the Pacific after the typhoon passed, along with cold, dry air pushing down. Moisture was funneled through a narrow path, triggering intense downpours."

The expert also said Korea's recent pattern of extreme rainfall followed by scorching heat, which in the past only occurred in mountainous areas, should now be seen as the "new normal."

He added the importance of being prepared.

"Acting quickly when alerts are issued, like securing evacuation spaces in advance and following official guidance without hesitation, is important. Some people still think it won't happen to them, but that mindset can be dangerous."

And he also said potential damage from not believing a warning far outweighs the inconvenience of a false alarm.

Though heavy rain alerts for areas, including Gwangju, were lifted on Monday morning, more downpours are expected across the country throughout this week.

Park Kun-woo, Arirang News.