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Man found dead after going missing as authorities continue search operations across Korea

Published: 21 Jul. 2025, 09:30

The Daebo Bridge in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, on July 20 [NEWS1]

A man’s body was found during a search operation for missing persons following heavy rains in Pocheon, Gyeonggi.

According to the Gyeonggi-do Fire & Disaster Headquarters on Monday, the body of a man was discovered at around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday near the Yeongpyeong Stream in Idong-myeon, Pocheon, during the search.

The man is believed to be in his 50s and was reported missing on Sunday afternoon after being swept away by rapid currents in Baegun Valley, located upstream. Police are working to confirm his identity.

The disaster headquarters resumed the search for other missing people in Gapyeong County from 7 a.m. Monday. A team of 59 personnel with equipment was dispatched to search areas around Daebo-ri and Mail-ri in Jojeong-myeon in Gapyeong, where missing persons had been reported. Four people in total were reported missing in Gapyeong after heavy rains hit the region early on Sunday.

At around 4:20 a.m. on Sunday, a man in his 40s was found dead, caught on a bridge structure near Daebo Bridge in Daebo-ri, Jojeong-myeon, Gapyeong. He had been camping in Mail-ri, about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from Daebo Bridge, with his wife and teenage son. Fire authorities are treating his wife and son as missing persons and are searching the camping site in Mail-ri and the area around Daebo Bridge where he was found.

The Daebo Bridge in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, on July 20 [NEWS1]

Officers rescuing evacuees in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, on July 20 [YONHAP]

At around 4:28 a.m. the same day, another man in his 70s went missing after being swept away by rapid currents while trying to drive out of a fishing site near Daebo Bridge. At 5:20 a.m., a report was filed from Buk-myeon in Gapyeong County stating that another man in his 70s had been buried in a landslide and was listed as missing.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s daily disaster report, as of 9 p.m. Sunday, 18 people had died and nine were missing due to the extreme rainfall across the country.

By region, Sancheong in South Gyeongsang, where landslides occurred, reported the most deaths with 10. Gapyeong in Gyeonggi reported two, and Seosan in South Chungcheong also reported two. Osan and Pocheon in Gyeonggi, Dangjin in South Chungcheong and Buk District in Gwangju each reported one death.

Four are missing in Gapyeong, while another four are missing in Sancheong, with one person missing in Gwangju's Buk District. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.

Houses are damaged due to the landslide from the flood in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, on July 20. [NEWS1]

Infrastructure damage has also been significant. As of 6 p.m. the previous day, 1,999 cases of damage to public facilities were reported, including flooded roads, soil erosion and collapsed river infrastructure, while 2,238 cases of damage to private property, such as flooded buildings and farmland, were also recorded.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, rain was forecast for the Jeolla regions, South Gyeongsang and Jeju through Monday morning. Rain is set to fall in North Jeolla and North Gyeongsang from 9 a.m., and for the capital region, Gangwon and the Chungcheong regions in the afternoon. Some areas in the south are expected to experience very heavy showers of 30 to 50 millimeters (1.2 to 2 inches) per hour.

With heavy rain warnings and advisories lifted, the government downgraded the heavy rain crisis alert from "serious" to "caution" at 6 p.m. the previous day and deactivated the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters’ Level 3 emergency response. The highest-level response had been in place since 3:30 p.m. on July 17.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]