Tracking That Day: The Story of Typhoon Rusa, Worst Typhoon in History, Whose Name Disappeared But Whose Victims Must Never Be Forgotten

Do you remember Typhoon Rusa?

On the SBS program "The Story of the Day That Bites the Tail" (hereinafter "Kkokkomu") broadcast on the 30th, under the subtitle "Forgotten People - Typhoon Rusa," the show traced the day when Typhoon Rusa, which recorded the highest number of casualties and the largest property damage in history, struck the Korean Peninsula.

On August 31, 2002, Typhoon Rusa struck. While the entire country was placed under the influence of the typhoon, the area hit directly was Gangneung, Gangwon Province.

Typhoon Rusa caused the highest number of casualties since 2000, with 8 people missing and 238 dead. The resulting property damage at the time amounted to a staggering 5.1479 trillion won, making it the record holder for the most property damage caused by a typhoon.

With daily rainfall far exceeding several times the average precipitation of the monsoon season, damages such as landslides and washed-out roads erupted everywhere, turning the Gangneung Fire Station into chaos with a flood of calls requesting rescue.

Right at that moment, an even bigger crisis arose. The floodgates of the Obong Dam in Gangneung, which played a role in preventing flood damage in downstream low-lying areas, would not open. Because blackouts across Gangneung caused by torrential rain made it impossible to control the floodgates, if the gates could not be opened and the Obong Dam collapsed as a result, the worst-case scenario could unfold where the city of Gangneung might be wiped off the Korean Peninsula entirely.

Amidst such circumstances, evacuations were underway across various parts of Gangneung. Among those evacuating to higher ground was Gyu-tae's family. Gyu-tae and his family were escaping to higher ground in a car. As their vehicle began to float away in the rushing torrent, Gyu-tae broke away from the car with his family to survive.

Holding his wife in one arm and his two daughters in the other, he stepped forward carefully, step by step. However, at a certain moment, the strength in his arms gave out, and his wife was swept away by the rapid current right before him. And Gyu-tae could do nothing but watch.

At the moment he was stepping forward carefully, step by step, to protect at least his two daughters, his second daughter disappeared without a trace. A moment later, Gyu-tae even lost his grip on his eldest daughter's hand. He, too, was swept away by the fierce currents before he knew it.

Gyu-tae barely managed to save his life afterward. However, there was no sign of his wife or his two daughters anywhere, and their fate remained unknown.

And at that moment, the floodgates of the collapsing Obong Dam were opened. Yet, an even greater problem awaited them. Due to the record-breaking rainfall, the water rushing in was greater than the water escaping through the opened gates, leaving only a single meter until the maximum water level.

Faced with an unprecedented situation, the mayor of Gangneung fell into deep deliberation over whether to issue an emergency evacuation order for the entire city of Gangneung. It was a situation requiring the entire city to evacuate, but an evacuation order could also trigger a greater panic. Ultimately, the mayor decided to wait out the typhoon and did not issue an emergency evacuation order.

Afterward, night fell, the rain dramatically stopped, and the water level of the Obong Dam dropped, allowing them to narrowly avert the worst-case scenario. However, the next day, the city of Gangneung was left looking like ruins.

At the time, there were some 23,000 flood victims in Gangneung alone. Firefighters immediately set out to search for the missing persons starting the next day.

Captain Kim Young-gon was serving as a company commander of the Gangneung Iron Wall Unit when Typhoon Rusa made landfall. After all his unit members took shelter, he managed to make a safety check call to his wife, but the next day, news of his disappearance emerged.

Immediately after his phone call with his wife, he went out to control traffic. Unable to ignore the pleas of people asking for help, he went to assist them directly, and while rescuing an elderly couple, he lost his balance and was swept away by the rapid current.

In response, his wife prayed and waited for him, pleading that he just stay alive. However, after four days of failing to find her husband, just as everyone was growing exhausted, his body was recovered.

Captain Kim, who had appeared like a birthday gift as Yun-jung's first and last love, had no choice but to leave the side of the family he loved so dearly.

And Gyu-tae, who was separated from his family during the evacuation. Days later, he was able to reunite with his wife, who had slipped away to heaven as if she were sleeping. Subsequently, 37 days later, the body of his eldest daughter was found in a nearby rice paddy, and a month later, the body of his second daughter was found.

Recalling that time, Gyu-tae said, "You have to consider that I wasn't in my right mind; being in my right mind would have been strange." He tormented himself with guilt, believing that he had lost his daughters because he let go of their hands.

August 31, when Typhoon Rusa made landfall, was his second daughter's birthday. Without ever getting to go on the beach trip she dreamed of so much, his second daughter had to leave this world. And Gyu-tae still longed for his daughters and wife.

The name of the typhoon that caused massive damage was permanently retired. Thus, the name Typhoon Rusa completely disappeared. Now, 24 years later, people's memories of Typhoon Rusa are also growing increasingly faint.

However, Gyu-tae still lives in the place where he stayed with his family, and Young-gon's daughter, who smiled innocently in front of her father's portrait, is now approaching marriage.

Those who lost precious family members in just a single day. Some cannot touch a steering wheel because of the memories of that day, while others live on, burying their loved ones deep in their hearts to this day. Even if the name Typhoon Rusa is erased, those who suffered damage and those who plunged into the typhoon to save others must never be forgotten.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Reported by Kim Hyo-jung, SBS Entertainment News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.