"If a boulder that size had hit my house, I might not be here right now..."

At the site of the landslide that occurred in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, today (the 4th), the sound of small and large rocks tumbling down the mountain slope with rattling noises could still be heard intermittently.

The slope, which had collapsed all the way from near the peak to the bottom, left soil and rocks of various sizes exposed, with residential houses and farmland standing precariously right below.

Even when the landslide seemed to have subsided, small stones continued to roll down the slope, causing anxiety among nearby residents watching the scene.

A 75-year-old resident surnamed Kim, who lives in a house directly below the mountain, recalled, "I was cooking breakfast in the kitchen when suddenly there was a loud roar, sounding like a helicopter flying right next to the house. Then my husband shouted, 'Get out, get out quickly!' When I came out, rocks were falling like lightning."

"If the falling rocks and landslide had crushed the house, I wouldn't have survived," Kim said, heaving a sigh of relief. "It is a tremendous relief that there were no casualties."

Another resident, a 65-year-old surnamed Lee, said, "On my way back after picking chili peppers early in the morning near the landslide site, I suddenly heard a massive roar. Having lived in Hongcheon-gun for more than 60 years, I have never experienced such a massive landslide before."

Lee added, "Lightning struck Mogok-ri at the end of last month, and rain fell recently, which seems to have weakened the ground and caused the landslide."

Residents agreed that small rocks had occasionally rolled down from the mountain starting three days before the landslide, and that rockfalls continued all day long the previous day, unlike usual.

Kim recalled, "Small stones from the mountain behind the house started making a severe rattling sound a few days ago. Usually, it stops after a brief moment, but yesterday the sound of falling rocks continued all day until night, which made me feel that something was unusual."

Park, a 64-year-old resident, reminisced, "Small stones had been falling intermittently from the mountain for the past three days, but I thought nothing of it because small rocks sometimes roll down when mountain animals move around."

Park added, "I have lived in the house below the landslide site for 16 years, and a similar landslide occurred around a similar location back in around 2021. At that time, the county installed wire nets, which probably helped mitigate the damage this time."


The landslide occurred at 7:49 a.m. today in Mogok-ri, Seo-myeon, Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon Province.

Following reports that "the sound of rocks falling from the mountain continues," fire authorities, police, and Hongcheon County deployed 10 pieces of equipment and 22 personnel to control the site and take safety measures.

No injuries have been reported so far.

While there was no damage to residential houses, one warehouse used for storing agricultural machinery was buried.

With rocks continuing to fall and making access difficult, Hongcheon County and other authorities evacuated 16 nearby residents to a village hall and senior center as a precaution against potential additional landslides.


Authorities confirmed that no separate construction work or solar power facilities were located near the landslide site.

According to the Gangwon Regional Meteorological Administration, 45.8 mm of rain fell over the three days from August 31 to September 2.

The county has requested technical consultation from the Korea Forest Disaster Prevention and Safety Association to determine the exact cause of the landslide—such as the possibility of ground weakening from recent rainfall—as well as the affected area and recovery direction.

The county plans to continuously monitor for additional soil outflows and embark on emergency restoration work as soon as the soil movement stops.

(Photo: Yonhap News)