Heavy Rain Hits South Korea, Disrupting Festivals and National Parks

SEOUL/GANGNEUNG, South Korea, June 20 (Yonhap) -- Heavy rain hit Gangwon Province and the country's southern regions Saturday, the weather agency said, prompting authorities to restrict access to major mountainous national parks and disrupting a local festival.

Casualties were not reported due to the rain that continued for the second straight day. But strong winds and downpours, in particular, hit Gangwon Province, the southern resort island of Jeju and the southeastern port city of Busan, according to weather officials.

As of 4 p.m., a maximum of 223 millimeters of rain had fallen on Misiryeong Pass in Gangwon Province, according to the Gangwon Regional Office of Meteorology.

A heavy rain warning had been lifted as of 4 p.m. as rainfall eased, but strong winds and high waves were still reported in waters off the country's east coast.

Earlier in the day, the national park office of Mount Seorak in Gangwon Province restricted access to high-altitude trails at the park.

As the eastern coastal city of Gangneung received heavy rainfall, the organizer of the Gangneung Danoje Festival, a major regional festival, canceled or rescheduled some of its programs.

Jeju received more than 150 mm of rain for the second straight day, prompting the national park office of Mount Halla, the highest peak in South Korea, to close most of the trails in the park.

The fire service in Busan said it received 49 cases of accidents related to strong winds and heavy rain.

As of 8:30 a.m., the Korea Forest Service had raised a landslide warning for the Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces to "caution" from "attention."

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) earlier forecast rain will likely continue across South Korea through Saturday evening after heavy downpours drenched much of the country overnight.

The KMA warned of rough seas in southern and eastern waters, with waves expected to reach up to 5 meters in the East Sea through Sunday.