Elements for Life

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Most of the natural disaster damages in Korea are due to

water and wind-related events. From 1997 to 2006, an annual

average of 117 people lost their lives, mostly from floods and

landslides caused by typhoons and torrential rains in the

summer. Typhoons caused 58 per cent of the property damages,

while torrential rains were responsible for 23 per cent.

Property damages from natural disasters during the last 10

years amounts to USD2.1 billion per year, as well as USD3.7

billion spent each year on recovery costs. Although general

human loss has decreased, property damage, which is

converted and normalized by current values, is increasing due

to the affect of climate change on vulnerability. Eight out of

ten of the most severe natural disasters occurring between 1958

and 2006 took place in the last ten years.

According to KMA the temperature and precipitation inten-

sity in the Korean peninsula has undeniably increased since

the 1980s. The most severe drought in 90 years occurred in

2001, and in August 2002 sunshine hours were 50 per cent

less than normal. In 2002 and 2003, property damages by

typhoon Rusa and Maemi were USD6.6 billion and USD4.7

billion, respectively. In March 2004 a sudden blizzard caused

mass societal panic because nobody was prepared for such a

natural hazard in the spring.

Water and wind-related disasters are anticipated to increase

in the Korean peninsula. Normally, typhoons develop in the

South Pacific where they downgrade to extra tropical depres-

sions due to the low sea surface temperature as they approach

the Korean peninsula. However, when the sea surface temper-

ature in the typhoon’s path is not low enough, they carry on

to the Korean peninsula at full strength and cause severe

damage.

The Korean government is setting up systematic counter-

measures such as multi-hazard warning systems, to cope with

the emerging risks, and to minimize the damage on critical

infrastructure. One of the most effective preventive measures

in Korea is the implementation of the Disaster Impact

Assessment (DIA) system. DIA aims to eliminate the poten-

tial causes of disasters inherent in various development

Before the 1970s the Seoul metropolitan area precipitation

was concentrated in prolonged wet seasons from the end of

June to the end of July. However, recent statistics show that

most precipitation now occurs from the end of July and

August through localized torrential rains, after the regular

wet season.

Whilst there is no explicit change in the total precipitation

levels, the total days of precipitation is steadily decreasing, whilst

the precipitation intensity, which has direct correlations with

water-related disasters, is increasing dramatically. As shown in

statistics since the 1920s, the annual precipitation in the last two

decades has increased only 7 per cent compared to the 1920s.

However, the days of precipitation decreased by 14 per cent and,

thus, the intensity is estimated to increase by 18 per cent.

From 1992 to 2001 the frequency of concentrated rains

which exceeded 100 millimetres per day was 325, which is 1.5

times more than the number measured in the 1970s. Of partic-

ular note was 31 August 2002, when a record-breaking 870.5

millimetres precipitation was measured in Gangneung City.

The change in summer precipitation patterns is not the only

problem in Korea. Droughts in the Spring is an increasing

worry. The Korean peninsula, which is located between the

Eurasian continent and the Pacific, is affected by continental

high pressure developed in China during the autumn. This

continental air mass is replaced by oceanic air mass in May

and when strength of the continental air mass is not weaken-

ing, Korea experiences the spring drought. 2001 was the worst

year of drought since the beginning of Korean modern climate

observation in 1911.

Compared to normal precipitation levels, the amount in the

spring of 2001 was only 12 per cent in the middle of the Korean

peninsula, whilst the maximum was 74 per cent on Jeju Island,

which is located in the most southern part of Korea.

Precipitation in most areas was recorded as less than 50 per

cent and the Seoul metropolitan area recorded only 10 to 30 per

cent. In June the total water volume in reservoirs was less than

39 per cent of the normal volume, which presented a serious

threat to the whole country.

Source: KMA

1920-29

1930-39

1940-49

1950-59

1960-69

1970-79

1980-89

1990-99

1100

1150

1200

1250

1300

Total Precipitation

Total precipitation in the Korean Peninsula