Deadly Landslides in Sancheong, South Korea: July 19, 2025 Event
On 19 July 2025, intense and prolonged rainfall triggered 568 landslides in Sancheong, South Korea. The event resulted in at least 10 fatalities and caused widespread damage to homes and infrastructure, with estimated restoration costs exceeding US$800 million.
Scientific Analysis of the Landslide Event
A study published in the journal Landslides by Nguyen et al. (2026) provides a detailed analysis of the disaster. The research mapped the landslides and linked their occurrence to rainfall intensities ranging from 498 to 619 mm over approximately 55 hours.
"The modelling indicates that it was a combination of the intensity of the rainfall and its duration that led to these failures."
Geographical and Geological Context
The affected area is centered at 35.4333°N, 127.9111°E. The landslides were primarily shallow, translational failures in soil or regolith on steep slopes, a common pattern in such events. These failures often merge to form channelized debris flows, exacerbating the damage.
Visual Evidence of the Disaster
Satellite imagery from Planet Labs provides a stark before-and-after comparison of the affected region:
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Before the event (10 July 2025): A Planet Labs image shows the area prior to the landslides.
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After the event (23 July 2025): A follow-up image reveals the extent of the landslides and resulting terrain changes.
A slider tool is available to compare the two images side by side.
Impact of Climate Change on Landslide Frequency
The study highlights that increasing rainfall intensities due to climate change are contributing to a rise in landslide clusters. Such events are becoming more frequent and severe, underscoring the need for improved understanding and mitigation strategies.
Reference and Acknowledgement
The study by Nguyen et al. (2026) is titled Physically based data-driven analysis for large-scale investigation of the July 2025 rainfall-induced landslide in Sancheong, South Korea and was published in Landslides. The paper is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-026-02778-x.
Satellite imagery is provided by Planet Labs, with access via the Planet Application Program Interface.
Text © 2026. The authors. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. Images are subject to copyright; any reuse without express permission is prohibited.
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