Landslide risk and evacuation
Landslides happen without warning, in seconds. Knowing the signs saves lives.
Dangerous conditions
- During prolonged heavy rain
- As a typhoon passes
- Just after the rain stops — saturated soil collapses. Don't relax because the rain has ended.
Signs you must evacuate
- Water springing from the slope, or muddy water flowing out
- Trees leaning or shifting at the root
- The ground cracking or subsiding
- A spring that always ran suddenly stopping
- A rumbling sound from the mountain
If you see even one, move away from the slope to high, solid ground immediately, and call 119.
How to evacuate
- Move at right angles to the slope, away from the mountain.
- Don't go into valleys or streambeds. Debris flows down them.
- Head for the nearest shelter or the upper floor of a solid building.
- Tell 119 and your community centre. Alert your neighbours too.
If you live in a vulnerable area
- The Korea Forest Service landslide information system has hazard maps.
- Decide your evacuation place and route in advance.
- Moving somewhere safe before forecast heavy rain is the best protection.
- Keep the disaster alert app on.
Where to go
- 119 rescue and emergency · 112 danger
- Korea Forest Service www.forest.go.kr (landslide information)
- National Disaster Safety Portal www.safekorea.go.kr (shelters)
- Your local community service centre
- 1577-1366 · 1345 interpretation
Questions people ask
Is it still dangerous after the rain stops? Yes. Collapses often happen after the rain has ended, because the soil is saturated. Stay alert for at least a day.
My house is at the foot of a mountain. When heavy rain is forecast, evacuating in advance is safest. Ask your community centre whether you are in a hazard zone.
Evacuation announcements are in Korean. The Safety Diddimdol app supports several languages. Asking a neighbour also works. See disaster-alert-understanding.
Can I evacuate by car? Roads may already have washed away. For short distances, walking to high ground is often safer.
Take care
"Let's watch a bit longer" is the most dangerous choice. A landslide buries a house in seconds. When you see the signs or a heavy rain warning is issued, don't pack — get yourself out first.
Related
flood-emergency · typhoon-emergency · evacuation-shelters · disaster-alert-understanding
Source
Korea Forest Service www.forest.go.kr / As of 2026-08