Between June and August 2020, floods severely impacted large areas of both

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''no ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

due to heavy rains of the regional rainy season, primarily in the far southern parts of the

Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

. These floods are closely related to ones across China and in Kyushu, Japan. 30 people have died in South Korea as a result.

Events

The

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...

rainy season began in South Korea in late June. In early July,

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...

was flooded following heavy rains. Late July again saw heavy downpours and strong winds hit southeastern areas of South Korea, killing several people and causing more damage. In mid-July, a

Korea Meteorological Administration The Korea Meteorological Administration () (KMA) is the national meteorological service of the Republic of Korea. The service started in 1904 joining the WMO in 1956. Numerical Weather Prediction is performed using the Unified Model software su ...

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." 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."South Korea floods, landslides kill 26 as heavy rains continue."
Channel News Asia. (Reuters) 8 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020. Evacuees and local officials raised concerns regarding emergency shelter given the simultaneously ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. The floods worsened as Typhoon Hagupit and Tropical Storm Jangmi dropped more rainfall over the

in August 2020. the 2020 rainy season is the second longest on record after the 2013 season. On 3 August, the North Korean State Hydro-Meteorological Administration, issued a red alert over extreme rainfall in parts of the south and northwestern regions of North Korea. 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. The

Korean Central News Agency The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) is the state news agency of North Korea. The agency portrays the views of the North Korean government for both domestic and foreign consumption. It was established on December 5, 1946 and now features onli ...

reported damage in North Korea, but no fatalities."Food supply a concern amid N. Korea floods."
''The Star''. (Reuters) 8 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020. Supreme Leader

Kim Jong-un Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's se ...

was reported on 7 August to have inspected flood-damaged areas of

North Hwanghae Province North Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaebuk-to; , lit. "north Yellow Sea province") is a province of North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern h ...

, adjacent to South Korea, among them in village of Taechong-ri, Unpa County. There are concerns that the late flooding in 2020 could interfere with the North's food harvest and precipitate a threat to the state's food security. Further reconstruction works took place in Kangbuk-ri,

Kumchon County Kŭmch'ŏn County is a county in the North Hwanghae province of North Korea. It has a population of 68,216. Geography Kŭmch'ŏn is bordered to the west by Kaesŏng, to the south by Kaep'ung, to the northwest by T'osan, and to the north by Mt ...

. On October that year,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly,

Choe Ryong-hae Choe Ryong-hae (born 15 January 1950) is a North Korean politician and military officer who currently serves as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly and First Vice President of the State Affairs Commission, holding ...

visited the village Samjigang-ri in

Chaeryong County Chaeryŏng County is a county in South Hwanghae province, North Korea. Geography Located on the Chaeryŏng River, the county is bordered to the west by Anak and Sinch'ŏn, to the south by Sinwŏn, and to the east by Ŭnp'a, Pongsan and Sariwŏn ...

to inspect reconstruction efforts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2020 Korean floods Floods in North Korea Floods in South Korea 2020 disasters in North Korea 2020 disasters in South Korea

Floods A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study o ...

2020 floods in Asia

Events

See also

References