The Ministry of Environment (Minister Kim Wansup) announced that it will designate and operate the period from April 28 to May 2 as the ‘2nd Korea Flood Safety Emphasis Week’ to conduct a final inspection of flood response preparedness by relevant agencies before this year’s natural disaster countermeasure period (May 15 to October 15).

The 2nd Korea Flood Safety Emphasis Week, being held for the second time following last year, was established with the goal of quickly recognizing flood risks and widely disseminating information to minimize damage. Together with experts, local governments, and affiliated and subordinate organizations, flood response plans will be reviewed in advance and a cooperative system will be established to ensure effective response capabilities at actual flood sites.

The Ministry of Environment will hold a Flood Safety Policy Forum on April 28 at the Yangjae aT Center (located in Seocho-gu, Seoul) with flood response experts, relevant agencies, and local government officials. On April 29 and May 2, it will focus on discussions regarding flood response plans and cooperation measures with relevant agencies such as metropolitan governments and affiliated and subordinate organizations at the Government Complex Sejong. In addition, joint simulation exercises and workshops with relevant agencies will be held by river basin, including the Nakdong River.

 

A ‘Ministry of Environment - Metropolitan Government Meeting,’ presided over by Vice Minister Lee Byonghwa of the Ministry of Environment and attended by deputy heads of 17 metropolitan governments including Seoul, will be held on April 29 at the Government Complex Sejong to focus on discussions regarding flood response plans and cooperation measures between agencies.

The Ministry of Environment will explain the key points of the 2025 summer flood countermeasures, which aim to quickly detect risks and disseminate information to minimize casualties, including the establishment of digital twins using 3D digital technology, the advancement of flood forecasting through artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the introduction of intelligent closed-circuit televisions (CCTV), and the expansion of urban flood forecasting. The meeting will also review the major flood response plans and key tasks of local governments and discuss areas requiring cooperation between the central government and local governments.

A flood response system inspection meeting, presided over by Minister Kim Wansup of the Ministry of Environment, will be held on May 2 at the Government Complex Sejong to review the summer flood preparedness of each affiliated and subordinate agency* and to discuss cooperation measures.

* Korea Meteorological Administration, Basin (Regional) Environmental Offices, Flood Control Offices, K-water, Korea National Park Service, etc.

Starting with the Korea Meteorological Administration’s summer weather outlook, the meeting will include an explanation of the Ministry of Environment’s 2025 summer flood countermeasures and discussions on key tasks to be pursued by each affiliated and subordinate agency.

 

The Basin (Regional) Environmental Offices will review the status of flood response preparations, including the progress of flood recovery projects from last year’s floods and the results of comprehensive inspections and response measures for flood-prone areas where human casualties may occur even during floods below the design flood level. The Flood Control Offices will inspect the operational status related to sending disaster safety a.lert messages when water levels at 933 national river main streams, tributaries, and smaller streams reach the critical level (design flood level). This is part of the Ministry of Environment’s strengthened measures this year to disseminate disaster information to the public more promptly compared to last year. 

 

In addition, K-water will discuss dam operation plans for the flood season (June 21 to September 20), and the Korea National Park Service will address field response measures, including follow-up actions related to wildfires and secondary damage prevention measures for wildfire-affected areas. 

Joint simulation training, based on assumed real flood situations, will be conducted by river basin from April 29 to May 9. The training aims to ensure that each agency understands its role during a flood situation and will involve the Ministry of Environment, its affiliated agencies such as Basin (Regional) Environment Offices and Flood Control Offices, the Korea Meteorological Administration, local governments, K-water, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Korea Rural Community Corporation, and other relevant organizations.

* April 29 (Tuesday): Upper and lower Han River basin,   

April 30 (Wednesday): Lower Nakdong River basin

May 8 (Thursday): Yeongsan River and Seomjin River basins,   

May 8 (Thursday): Upper Nakdong River basin

May 9 (Friday): Geum River basin

 

During the joint training, flood forecasts will be issued in accordance with the artificial intelligence (AI) flood forecasting system, and flood information will be rapidly disseminated using the Voice Messaging System (VMS*) and the disaster safety communication network**. Additionally, based on the flood forecast issuance, the training will check the response actions of relevant agencies, such as resident evacuation and emergency measures, thereby strengthening inter-agency collaboration for the widespread dissemination of flood information.

* Voice Message System: Automatically converts text to voice for transmission, and ends the call after con.firming receipt.

** Flood situations are simultaneously transmitted to flood response agencies such as local governments, fire departments, and police within the same area.

 

In particular, due to concerns over secondary damage from rainwater and sediment runoff following wildfire damage, a field training exercise will be conducted on April 30 in Saengnim-myeon, Gimhae City, Gyeongsangnam-do, within the Nakdong River basin. The exercise will involve the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office, Nakdong River Flood Control Office, Korea Meteorological Administration, local governments, police departments, K-water, and local community representatives. The training will simulate a levee piping situation caused by heavy rainfall from an approaching typhoon, aiming to enhance on-site response capabilities including levee emergency repair and review inter-agency cooperation systems. 

Through this training, the Ministry of Environment, together with relevant agencies, will conduct a final inspection of the flood response system to minimize human and property damage during actual flood situations.

Joint workshops with relevant agencies will be held by region from April 23 to May 2 to share key flood response plans and strengthen the cooperation system. Participating organizations include the Ministry of Environment (Basin and Regional Environmental Offices), the Korea Meteorological Administration, Flood Control Offices, local governments, K-water, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, and Korea Rural Community Corporation.

* April 23 (Wednesday): Mangyeong River and Dongjin River basins,  

April 29 (Tuesday): Yeongsan River and Seomjin River basins

April 30 (Wednesday): Geum River basin,        

May 1 (Thursday): Upper Han River basin

May 1 (Thursday): Lower Han River basin,   

May 2 (Friday): Nakdong River basin

 

Key discussion topics include sharing the Ministry of Environment’s 2025 summer flood countermeasures, such as the introduction of intelligent closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) for national rivers, the dam-river digital twin water management platform, and the expansion of urban flood forecasting. The roles and key flood response initiatives of each agency will also be discussed. In addition, the designation, operation, and action plans for flood-prone areas will be shared.

 

Minister Kim Wansup of the Ministry of Environment stated, “Flood Safety Emphasis Week is intended to conduct a final inspection of flood preparedness among flood response agencies and to strengthen cooperation before the natural disaster countermeasure period (May 15 to October 15).” He added, “Through the establishment of a close cooperation system with relevant agencies such as local governments, we will work to quickly recognize flood risks and widely disseminate information to minimize flood damage this year.”

For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division. 

Contact person: Gina Lee, foreign media spokesperson

Phone: +82-44-201-6055

Email: gcjgina @gmail.com