Thousands of landslide-vulnerable areas identified in South Korean cities, posing significant risk

Major South Korean cities are facing a significant threat from landslides, with over 2,800 designated vulnerable areas identified within Seoul, Ulsan, Daejeon, Daegu, and Busan. While landslides are often associated with remote mountainous regions, the concentration of these risk zones in densely populated urban centers highlights a critical public safety issue.

Urban development, including the excavation of mountains for construction, has led to the degradation of forest cover and weakened soil structures, making these areas susceptible to collapse. Although these urban landslide-prone zones constitute less than 10% of the national total, their proximity to residential areas, schools, and other high-density facilities means that any landslide event could result in severe damage and casualties.

Past incidents, such as the devastating 2011 landslide on Seoul's Umyeon Mountain, serve as stark reminders of the dangers. That disaster, triggered by intense rainfall on weakened ground from unchecked development, claimed 16 lives and caused extensive property damage, leading to the establishment of the landslide-vulnerable area designation system. However, a decade later, safety awareness appears to have waned, with many of these urban zones reportedly lacking essential flood control infrastructure.

Compounding the issue is the increasing frequency of localized extreme rainfall events due to climate change. Last year alone, South Korea experienced 2,637 landslides, a figure exceeding the total for the previous five years, with 99% occurring during a single five-day period of heavy monsoon rains in mid-July. Authorities are urged to implement tailored disaster prevention measures, secure drainage systems, and reinforce emergency communication networks to ensure swift evacuation during crises as the monsoon season approaches.