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Gangneung drought declared disaster, 75% of households' water restricted

Published: 31 Aug. 2025, 14:18 Updated: 31 Aug. 2025, 18:17

The Obong Reservoir is dried up on Aug. 29 in Gangneung, Gangwon. President Lee Jae Myung declared a state of disaster in the region due to the severe drought. [YONHAP]

President Lee Jae Myung declared the severe drought in Gangneung, Gangwon, a state of disaster amid the worsening state of the region's main water supply, which has led to the locking up of 75 percent of residential water meters, on Sunday.

According to a written briefing from presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung released Saturday, Lee issued the directive while presiding over a countermeasure meeting in Gangneung, where water restrictions are in place due to the drought. After the meeting, he visited the Obong Reservoir, the city’s main source of domestic water. He also ordered the issuance of a national firefighting mobilization order for the affected areas.

“To minimize the damage from the drought, the government must mobilize all available resources to ease the inconvenience to residents,” Lee said. “We need nationwide support to secure drinking water, so I ask municipalities with available resources to step up with a sense of community.”

The president's visit to Gangneung was not part of an official schedule, but he told officials that he "must visit the site in person" on Saturday morning after receiving reports, according to insiders. Only a handful of staff from the presidential office followed.

President Lee Jae Myung holds a meeting at the Gangneung City Hall in Gangwon to discuss measures for the severe drought of the region on Aug. 30. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

When Gangneung Mayor Kim Hong-kyu told Lee that he "firmly believes that it will rain in September," Lee responded that "You cannot just sit and trust the heavens to do the job."

"We can't experiment with people's lives if it doesn't rain, can we?" Lee said to Kim.

Following Lee's orders, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety declared the state of disaster in Gangneung at 7 p.m. Saturday and vowed to mobilize 50 fire tanker trucks to provide an additional 2,000 tons of water per day.

Gangwon requested the declaration of a disaster state on Friday. Such declarations are emergency measures that can be issued when a disaster occurs or is expected, allowing the government to mobilize personnel, equipment and supplies, provide emergency assistance and summon public officials.

President Lee Jae Myung inspects the Gangneung region in Gangwon, damaged by severe drought, on Aug. 30. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

The Obong Reservoir is seen dried up on Aug. 29 in Gangneung, Gangwon. President Lee Jae Myung declared a state of disaster in the region due to the severe drought. [YONHAP]

This marks the first disaster declaration in Korea due to a natural drought. Past declarations were made in response to the wildfire in Yangyang County, Gangwon, in May 2005, the oil spill off Taean County, South Chungcheong, in December 2007, the wildfires along the East Coast in April 2019 and the wildfires in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang, and Samcheok, Gangwon, in March 2022.

Gangneung has seen just half its average rainfall over the past six months. The water level at the Obong Reservoir fell to 15.7 percent on Friday, compared with the usual 71 percent, marking a record low.

The city began implementing partial water restrictions on Aug. 20, locking 50 percent of water meters in homes after the reservoir level dropped below 25 percent.

As of Sunday, the Obong Reservoir's water level had fallen below the critical 15 percent threshold for domestic water supply. According to the Korea Rural Community Corporation's water management system, the level stood at 14.9 percent as of 7:40 a.m., down 0.4 percentage points from the previous day.

Fire tanker trucks are getting ready to help Gangneung in Gangwon on Aug. 31 amid a severe drought that has damaged the region. [NATIONAL FIRE AGENCY]

A Gangneung citizen collects water from a water fountain located in Daegwanryeong in Gangwon on Aug. 30 during a severe drought in the region. [YONHAP]

With Obong Reservoir now incapable of supplying additional water, the city will begin fully implementing its plan to lock 75 percent of residential water meters. As of Aug. 20, the city had already implemented 50 percent restrictions for 53,485 households including apartment buildings.

Water for agriculture was also affected. The city had originally planned to resume supplying water for farming on Saturday after a scheduled suspension from Aug. 23 to Friday under a “three days supply, seven days suspension” cycle. However, due to the reservoir’s critically low level, the city has halted all agricultural water supply from Obong Reservoir.

Gangneung has 10 other reservoirs still supplying agricultural water.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE, JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]