Sudden Influx of Han River Water... Citizens Stranded on Outdoor Stage Evacuated

"No Announcement" Citizens Feel 'Uneasy'
Hangang Project Headquarters Says "A Place Where Water Naturally Rises and Falls"

Citizens trapped on the outdoor stage at Hangang Riverside Park due to the swollen Hangang River water hurriedly evacuated. Photo by YTN

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] In Seoul's Hangang Park, water suddenly surged in, causing citizens trapped on an outdoor stage installed by the riverside to evacuate.

According to a YTN report on the 13th, water suddenly began to flood around the outdoor stage at Banpo Hangang Park in Seocho-gu, Seoul, early evening on the previous day (the 12th). The flooded area is a popular spot for citizens, and normally, when water does not accumulate, people can freely move between the stage and the riverside embankment.

However, on that day, as water suddenly surged in, the space where citizens were passing through was submerged within minutes. Unaware of this, citizens spending time there were trapped on the outdoor stage, unable to escape in time.

The reason the Hangang water suddenly rose on a day without rain was due to high tide. The sea level rose as it coincided with the high tide time in front of Incheon, causing the Hangang water level to rise as well.

Citizens were startled and began to evacuate, but until then, there were no separate measures such as announcement broadcasts. A citizen who was using Hangang Park at the time said in an interview with YTN, "I thought the dam was suddenly releasing water or something like that, but there was no announcement at all," adding, "The water level rose rapidly all of a sudden, so (citizens) hurriedly came out."

Another citizen said, "Some people trapped on the stage carried others on their backs to get out," and "They walked out with their pants wet." They continued, "It was the first time I saw the water rising, so I didn’t know how much it would rise or what would happen if it rose a lot, so I was anxious."

The Hangang Project Headquarters explained, "Banpo Hangang Park is the lowest area, so water naturally fills there slowly and then recedes after the high tide time passes," adding, "It happens every time."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.