Ministry of Government Administration and Home
AﬀairsRepublic of Korea
Country Report

CONTENTS
1. Organizations for Disaster Mitigation *2. Disaster Statistics and Flood Damage in 1998 *2.1. Statistics of the Last 10 Years *2.2. Flood Damage in July and August, 1998 *2.2.1. Introduction *2.2.2. Hydrological Condition of Korea *2.2.3. Characteristics of Rainfall between July 31 and August 18, 1998 *2.2.4. Summary of the Flood Damage *2.2.5. Conclusions *2.3. Summary *3. Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Activities *3.1. Implementing the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness in 1998 *3.2. Disaster Prevention Education, Drills, and Public Relations *3.3. Implementing the Disaster Prevention Plan *3.4. Risk Assessment Evaluation System of Disaster Impact(RAESDI) *3.5. Implementing the Improvement of Disaster Prone Areas *3.6. Implementing the Improvement of Small Rivers *3.7. Establishment of Automatic Rainfall Warning Systems *3.8. Management of Disaster in 1998 *3.9. National Institute for Disaster Prevention *4. Plans for 21st Century *4.1. Reﬁnement and Consolidation of Related Regulations *4.2. Investment on River Side Infrastructures for Disaster Mitigation *4.3. Systematic and Scientiﬁc Researches for Disaster Prevention *4.4. Active International Cooperation *1. Organizations for Disaster Mitigation

2. Disaster Statistics and Flood Damage in 1998
2.1. Statistics of the Last 10 Years

Table 1 Natural Disaster Damages for the Last 10 Years
itemyearCasualty

Evacuated Inundated

Building Ship Farmland

PersonArea(person) (person)(ha)(106 $)

PublicFacilities

OthersTotal(106(106 $)$)(106 $)(106$)(106$)
101.6

1988

143

5,053

17,987

0.5

1.2

8.8

69.0

22.1

1989

307

92,593

121,060

4.9

4.4

12.2170.2

266.7 458.4

1990

257

203,314124,276

7.7

2.5

37.4

230.2

263.5 541.3

1991

240

29,573

61,173

4.1

1.8

32.0

247.9

36.5

322.4

1992

40

965

13,969

0.1

0.9

1.2

12.5

5.4

20.0

1993

69

13,77958,489

1.0

8.8

8.4

127.8

18.2

164.3

1994

72

11,852

6,275

0.5

3.7

9.1

72.2

42.3

127.8

1995

158

30,40879,253

4.1

5.8

50.9

361.9

78.2

501.0

1996

77

18,68647,968

12.5

0.7

45.1

278.8

65.5

402.5

1997

38

6,296

45,774

1.6

2.3

9.3

121.9

24.0

159.1

Total

1,401

412,519576,223

42.2

37.2

243.6

1933.2 997.0 3253.3

Average140

41,252

57,622

4.2

3.7

24.4

193.3

99.7

325.3

2.2. Flood Damage in July and August, 1998
1. Introduction
A global anomaly in the atmospheric circulation has been caused by the eﬀect of
El Niño this year. The eﬀect was revealed by heavy rains in some regions,especially in Japan, Korea, and Yangtze River area in China. In Korea, there
were intensive heavy rains at most parts of the country between July 31 andAugust 18, 1998, due to the climatic disturbance and humid air inﬂow fromYangtze River area. The intensive rains caused wide spreading ﬂoods, which
resulted in over 300 in deaths. More than 180 thousand residents wereevacuated and the total property damage was more than about $923 million
because of the ﬂoods. The direct cause of the ﬂoods was unusually high hourlyprecipitation.
During the ﬂoods, the damage was collected by local government oﬃces andreported to Korea National Disaster Prevention and Countermeasures
Headquarters (KNDPCH) where rapid damage analyses and propercounteractions were conducted. Also, Korea National Institute for Disaster
Prevention (KNIDP) and other organizations performed damage investigations
including aerial photographing on ﬂooded areas.

2.2.2. Hydrological Condition of Korea
Korea is located in a monsoon region and experiences several Typhoons everyyear. The annual average precipitation is about 1,274 mm, and most of theprecipitation occurs during the rainy summer season between June andSeptember. River reaches in Korea are relatively short and the channel slopes
are relatively steep. Therefore, ﬂooding occurs quickly and the peak discharge ishigh due to the topographical conditions and the torrential rainfall. The ﬂowvariations also are very large and the coeﬃcient of the river regime, expressedby the maximum over minimum discharge, usually ranges from 100 to 700.

2.2.3. Characteristics of Rainfall between July 31 and August 18, 1998
The "August Flood" was caused by localized and sudden rainfalls which had
nicknames like "football" (unpredictable where to move) or "guerilla"(unpredictable when to appear). In fact, heavy rains appeared suddenly invarious places in Korea such as Seoul, Kanghwa, Phaju, Tongduchon, Uijungbu,

Sangju, Uisung, Pouen, Gurye, Soonchon, and etc.. Precise forecasting for thiskind of sudden rain was almost impossible, and Korean Meteorological Agency istrying to provide more accurate weather forecasting adopting a supercomputer.
Also, more damage was added by condensed precipitation over a short period oftime, especially in mountainous and/or agricultural area.

Unusual characteristics of the "August Flood" can be found when observe theprecipitation logs of Kanghwa, Seoul, and Soonchon areas. A total rainfall of 481
mm was accumulated in Kanghwa for just 11 hours on August 6, 1998, which
was more than 47 day precipitation (400 mm) in the area this summer. This is
the highest record of daily precipitation in August since Korean Meteorological
Agency starts the recording in 1904. The second highest record in August is 439
mm in Pusan area August 23, 1991. Regardless of the month, Changheung has
the highest daily precipitation record of 547 mm, and the second place goes toPuyeo with 518 mm. Even though Kanghwa is the third highest based on thedaily precipitation record, the amount of rainfall between 10 p.m. August 5 and6 a.m. August 6 indicates that it is no less than the highest record.

Soonchon, on the other hand, had a record-breaking hourly precipitation of 145
mm at 9:50 p.m. July 31. The previous hourly record was 119 mm in Seoul
August 5, 1942. 10-minute rainfall of Soonchon area, 43 mm, was close to thehighest record of 47 mm recorded in Seoul on June 22, 1956

In Seoul on August 8, a total precipitation of 333 mm was recorded which wasthe second highest following 355 mm on August 2, 1920. Table 2 shows theresult of rainfall frequency analysis of August 1998 for Seoul and Kyungi Area.

Table 2 Rainfall Frequency Analysis of August 1998 for Seoul and Kyungi Area

AREA

1 HOUR*

2 HOURS*

6 HOURS*

24 HOURS*

PPP

P

(mm)

R(year)(mm)

R(year)(mm)

R(year)(mm)

R(year)NOTE

Kanghwa

112.0

150

216.5

1000↑

466.5

1000↑

619.5

1000↑

E

Uijungbu

99.0

60

190.0

600

340.0

1000↑

406.5

100

E

Tongduchon

86.5

30

144.0

90

242.5

200

354.3

40IInchon

61.0

1080.0593.4

5157.7

5ISeoul

60.5

1099.010173.020361.5

50I

note: * Duration, P = Precipitation, R = Return Period, E = Extrapolation, I = Interpolation

It can be shown that for Kanghwa and Uijungbu area the total amounts ofprecipitation well exceed the return period of 20 years for designing drainage
system, and the design frequency of 100 years for urban stream construction. It
also can be seen that there was a severe local variation. The diﬀerences inprecipitation were quite big, although the measuring points were close eachother.

2.2.4. Summary of the Flood Damage
The ﬂood damage occurred between July 31 and August 18 was severe, and thepattern of damage was somewhat diﬀerent from previous ones. Most parts ofKorea, except Cheju Island, suﬀered great losses by the ﬂood. According toKNDPCH the total property damage was more than about $923 million that is
the second severest in the history. The ﬁrst one is $1.1 billion (corrected forcurrent value) which occurred in July 1987 by Typhoon Thelma.

More than 88 thousand buildings and 71,500 ha have been submerged and7,413 homes were evacuated. The total damage was more than twice of
average yearly damage. Figure 1 presents submerged areas and property
damages between 1977 and 1998.

Figure 1 Submerged Areas and Property Damages between 1977 and 1998
286 people were dead and 38 were missing. This is the most severe one in thelast 10 years. Most people were dead because of landslide in Kyungi area andFlash ﬂood in Chiri mountain area.

In general, a disaster area is declared when the damage is more than about$900 thousand, $600 thousand, or $350 thousand in capital, urban, or localarea, respectively. Regardless of administrative district, a town with a populationof more than 300 thousand is declared as a disaster struck area when thedamage is more than $600 thousand. During the "August Flood", 107 places
were declared as disaster areas and Figure 2 shows their locations and relative
position of Korean peninsula.

The percentages of the damage for individual facility or structure are shown inFigure 3. The largest damaged item is "River" which is almost 20% of total
damage. Next items follow as "Road" (14%) and "Creek" (12%).

5. Conclusions
Because of the ﬂood occurred between July 31 and August 18, 1998, the total
property damage was more than about $923 million that is second severest in
the Korean history. It is pointed out that citizens should have more
responsibilities for their own lives and the government should have morecomprehensive countermeasures for disaster prevention. The "August Flood"warned us that the ﬂood management is a very essential part of disastermitigation and that we should be prepared for next big ones. Moreover, afteranalyzing the causes of the damage precisely, extensive river disastercounterplan needs to be addressed.

Figure 2 Locations of Disaster Areas by the "August Flood" and Relative Position of the Korean
Peninsula2.3. Summary
During the period of September to December in 1997, blizzards, typhoons, rainfalls
had aﬀected Korea Peninsula. As a result, 15 people died and U.S. $13 million worthof property damages occurred.

In 1998, there were 13 disasters, including ﬂoods, typhoons, and tidal waves fromJune to August, resulted in 327 casualties and property damage of about U.S. $2billion.

During the period from September 1, 1997 to August 31, 1998, the total damage
caused by 17 natural disasters were 324 casualties and U.S. $1,019 million property
damages. (Detailed damages are given in Table 3).

Table 3 Total Damages caused by Natural Disaster during the Period from Sep.
in 1997 to Aug. in 1998
Sep.Classiﬁcation

Units

Dec.,
1997

Casualties(Dead or Missing)
Evacuated Person
Farmland Lost
or BuriedHouse Destroyedor Damaged
Property Damage

PersonFamily/Person

15Jan. - Aug.,
1998327

Total

342

910/3,460 7,686/25,481 8,596/28,941

ha2

7,978

7,980

Unit

2

2,917

2,919

16

1,006

1,019

U.S.
$ million

3. Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Activities
3.1. Implementing the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness in 1998
To reduce the loss of life, property damage, and economic disruption caused bynatural disasters such as ﬂoods and windstorms during the rainy season, the Korean
government has designated the period from March 1 to May 31 in 1998 as "Disaster
Preparedness Period" and performed several programs during this period.

a. Inspection and Maintenance of the Disaster-Prone Areas
Inspecting and maintaining 416 Disaster-Prone Areas vulnerable to inundation,
collapse, and isolation by typhoons and ﬂoods.

b. Inspection and Maintenance of Large-Scale Construction Sites
Preparing the "Disaster Preparedness Plan" and assigning government oﬃcials tomaintain 875 large-scale construction sites such as subways, golf courses,dams, and etc..

c. Inspection and Maintenance of Disaster Prevention Facilities

Inspecting and repairing 6,311 disaster prevention facilities including retaining
walls, embankment, reservoirs, and etc.

d. Securing Equipment and Facilities for Emergency Countermeasures
The equipment and facilities for emergency countermeasures had been secured
based on the average amount needed in the last ten years.
Securing disaster prevention equipment such as pile, bag, and etc..
Securing goods for the relief of evacuated citizens.
Securing rescue equipment such as helicopters, ships, life jackets, ambulances,wireless, and etc.

e. Saving Fund for Natural Disaster Countermeasures

The total of U.S. $ 116 million is laid aside in 16 cities and 232 districts forpredisaster prevention activities and emergency rehabilitation during the severe
natural disaster.

3.2. Disaster Prevention Education, Drills, and Public Relations

a. Disaster Prevention Education
42,984 staﬀ members were educated from March 9 to May 9 in 1998 to enhancetheir abilities to deal with natural disasters. The program included planning,
managing critical situations, reporting damage, working on recovery plans, andstudying relevant laws.

b. Drills and Practice Emergencies
To take proper actions immediately for disaster prevention together with othercommunity residents and related organizations, exercise under computer-simulated
disaster conditions, comprehensive exercise for disaster prevention, and practice
emergencies speciﬁc to each region were carried out during the period from May 12
to May 15 in 1998.
Exercise under computer-simulated disaster conditions:
To increase the ability for managing disasters, the exercise under computer-simulated
disaster conditions, which related authorities participated in, was carried out fromMay 12 to 14 in 1998.
Comprehensive exercise for disaster prevention:

On May 15, 1998, comprehensive exercise for disaster prevention was carried out at
the Namhan river basin under the assumption of hit by typhoon JANIS (July 1995)
again. The program of drills included life saving, emergency relief, rehabilitation, andetc..
Practice emergencies speciﬁc to each region:
Local governments carried out their own practice emergencies speciﬁc to each region
on 15, May in 1998.

To cope with earthquakes eﬀectively, the government carried out exercise undercomputer-simulated earthquake conditions on April 15, May 14, and September 15,
1998.

c. Public Relation for Disaster Prevention
Korea has designated May 25 as "National Disaster Prevention Day" to promote thepublic participation and awareness of disaster prevention.

The main events on the "National Disaster Prevention Day" are as follows;・Inspection of disaster prevention facilities and equipment
・Drill and campaign for disaster prevention
・Photo display of disaster-struck areas and their recovery processes
・Contest for disaster prevention posters

3.3. Implementing the Disaster Prevention Plan
To cope with the disasters which are getting varied and larger in scale, thegovernment has formulated the Basic Five-Year Disaster Prevention Plan and theYearly Disaster Prevention Action Plan.

During the Fifth Basic Disaster Prevention Plan Period (1997?2001), the government
will invest more than about U.S. $22 billion to 22 key items such as aﬀorestation
ﬂood control, disaster prevention, technology development, and etc..

According to this plan, the government has invested more than U.S. $4 billion to 22
key items in 1998.

3.4. Risk Assessment Evaluation System of Disaster Impact(RAESDI)The RAESDI is designed to protect the lives and property living in the downstream
from the impacts of large scale development.

Since the RAESDI was introduced on October 21, 1996, a total of 50 projects had
been deliberated by the end of August 1998. The result of deliberation was asfollows; 37 projects agreed, 3 projects insuﬃcient, 10 project drafts analyzed.

3.5. Implementing the Improvement of Disaster Prone Areas
Korea chose 416 sites most vulnerable to inundation, collapse, and isolation by
typhoons and ﬂoods, and labeled them as Disaster Prone Areas. A total U.S. $762
million will be invested for full improvement from 1998 to 2007.

According to this plan, a total of U.S. $59 million was invested to improve 90 disasterprone areas as ongoing projects in 1998.

3.6. Implementing the Improvement of Small Rivers
Small rivers in Korea are vulnerable to overﬂow and one of the main causes ofﬂooding. Thus, over the next 22 years ('95 to 2016), 25,684㎞ is earmarked for
improvement with the investment of more than U.S. $8 billion. The ﬁrst step is torefurbish 4,450㎞ from 1995 to 2004 at the cost of about U.S. $2 billion.
In 1998, 250㎞ of small rivers were refurbished at the cost of U.S. $69 million.

3.7. Establishment of Automatic Rainfall Warning Systems
During the summer season there have been casualties in valleys and riverbanks because ofheavy rains. Automatic rainfall warning systems, which can detect the amount ofprecipitation in upstream, is being established at 108 sites from 1996 to 2003, so thatcampers can take early warning.

In 1998, automatic rainfall warning system has been set up at ﬁve sites and the cost
was about US $800 thousand.

3.8. Management of Disaster in 1998
The Korean government has designated the period from June 15 to October 15 as"Disaster Countermeasures Period" and Korea National Disaster Prevention andCountermeasures Headquarters (KNDPCH) and local competent authorities are readyto manage possible disasters during this period 24 hours a day.

During the period from July 31 to August 18, 1998, humid air inﬂow from Yangtze
river caused heavy rainfalls of 1,274 mm, which is almost two third of a whole year.

Even though KNDPCH and other authorities tried to minimize the damages, including
eﬀorts for emergency rescue and conducting proper counteractions, the total damage
exceeded US $ 962 million which is the severest damage cost in the Korea history.

As mentioned before (section 1), the damage was mainly caused by sudden andlocalized rainfalls for just two weeks.
Soonchon city in Chunnam province had a record-breaking hourly precipitationof 145 mm at 9:50 p.m. July 31.
A total rainfall of 1,539 mm was accumulated in Tongdaemoon area of Seoulfrom July 31 to August 16.

A global anomaly in the atmospheric circulation caused by the eﬀect of El Niño in1998 resulted in inexorable damages in most parts of Korea.

3.9. National Institute for Disaster Prevention
National Institute for Disaster Prevention (NIDP) was established on September 2,
1997 to conduct systematic and scientiﬁc researches in the ﬁeld of disasterprevention.

NIDP was performed 9 research projects in 1997 and is carrying out 17 research

projects such as 「Development of Guidelines for Design of Flood Storage Reservoirs」,「Study on the Development of the Flood Insurance Program」,「Basic Study for
Establishment of the Small River Design Guidelines」, and etc..

4. Plans for 21st Century
4.1. Refinement and Consolidation of Related Regulations
There are currently about 80 diﬀerent regulations on land development, which areregulated by diﬀerent authorities and do not routinely consider the disaster impact byland development.

Before any development is carried out, it is desired to consider disaster factors that
may cause severe damages. It is planned to study and develop appropriat regulations
for removing any potential factors in advance according to the size of development
and controlling authorities. For instance, to reduce the surface runoﬀ of rainfall thestudy may include several topics such as rainfall storage detention facilities ofresidential area, inﬁltration wet wells of roads, and retention basin and undergroundinﬁltration facilities of public parking lot and/or school ground.

Implementation of ﬂood insurance program will also be considered to reduce theimpact of disasters on individual property owners by spreading these losses over alarge base.

4.2. Investment on River Side Infrastructures for Disaster Mitigation
The investment for ﬂood control has been inconsequential (0.07% of GNP) comparedto that for other SOCs. A balanced investment is required for eﬀective disastermitigation.

4.3. Systematic and Scientific Researches for Disaster Prevention
The function and the number of personnel of the Korean National Institute forDisaster Prevention need to be increased for systematic and scientiﬁc researches fordisaster prevention.

4.4. Active International Cooperation
The Korean government will actively participate in international conferences, provide
joint research projects to various organizations, share the information, and oﬀer
accumulated database or technology to other countries when asked.