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Torrential rains cause over 400 school closures

Published: 17 Jul. 2025, 13:18 Updated: 17 Jul. 2025, 13:29

SHIN MIN-HEE
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A high school in Dangjin, South Chungcheong, is flooded amid heavy rainfall in the morning of July 17. [NEWS1]

The heavy downpour sweeping across the country has disrupted student routines, with more than 400 schools announcing temporary closures on Thursday.

The Ministry of Education said that it has adjusted the academic schedules for 482 schools, as 403 suspended classes, 55 reduced class hours, 23 delayed start times and one switched to remote classes.

The schools that have shut down are mainly in South Chungcheong — 155 in Asan, 95 in Seosan, 69 in Yesan County and 68 in Hongseong County. Seosan particularly broke daily and hourly rainfall records early in the morning, which the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) has called a “once-in-a-century occurrence.”

As of 9:30 a.m., 166 schools reported property damage, with 73 percent experiencing water leakage. Dozens of other schools saw flooding and detached finishing materials.

No casualties were reported.

Kim Ji-cheol, superintendent of the South Chungcheong Office of Education, called for measures to minimize school damage from the torrential rain during an emergency response meeting held the same day.

“We urge the maintenance of an emergency communication system between district offices and schools to assess the damage, and the swift establishment of recovery plans to ensure that the academic schedule can resume as normal at affected schools,” Kim said.

The KMA forecast heavy rainfall rates of 30 to 50 millimeters (1.2 to 2 inches) per hour to continue throughout the day.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]