[Anchor]
A landslide occurred on Bukhansan Mountain on Sunday due to heavy rainfall. Experts warn that such landslides are often more dangerous after the rain stops than while it is pouring.
Reporter Park Seyong has the story.
[Reporter]
A long trail of soil and rocks, which began at the mountain peak, is clearly visible.
The landslide occurred around 11:00 a.m. on Sunday between Nojeokbong Peak and Yaksuam Hermitage on Bukhansan Mountain, scarring a hillside 10 meters wide and covering a total area of 4,000 square meters.
The debris, which started at Nojeokbong Peak, slid down for 400 meters, stopping just 30 meters away from a hiking trail.
Fortunately, there were no casualties as the trail was closed to the public at the time of the landslide.
A heavy rain warning had been issued for Bukhansan Mountain the day before the incident, with 146 millimeters of rain falling over two days, reaching a peak intensity of 57 millimeters per hour.
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Around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, a 3-ton rock rolled down toward a resting area frequently used by hikers near Nammaetap Pagoda on Gyeryongsan Mountain in South Chungcheong Province.
[Kwon Wook-young / Director of Gyeryongsan National Park Office: If hikers had been resting there at that time, it could have easily led to significant casualties.]
There have already been 10 rockfall incidents in national parks this year, a number that has already surpassed the total count for last year in just seven months.
Both the landslide on Bukhansan Mountain and the rockfall on Gyeryongsan Mountain occurred after the heavy rain had passed.
[Lee Jung-young / Manager of Disaster Management at Korea National Park Service: During the summer rainy season, rock formations and soil become extremely weak. It is dangerous when it rains heavily, but for several days after the rain stops, the ground remains saturated with water, posing a very high risk of landslides and rockfalls.]
An analysis of landslides in the Xinjiang region by Chinese researchers also showed that the period between 12 and 24 hours after the rain stops is the most dangerous.
With rain forecast in various parts of the country this week, extra caution is required when hiking, even if the rain has temporarily stopped.
(Video coverage: Yoon Hyung | Video editing: Chae Cheol-ho | Footage courtesy of Korea National Park Service)
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