Climatologically, in the Northwest Pacific basin, most tropical cyclones tend to develop between May and October. Typhoons impacting this region are not uncommon, with the bulk of these storms doing so in the third quarter (July to September). This article includes any tropical cyclone of any intensity that affected the Korean Peninsula.
20th century
Pre-1980s
August 28, 1936 – a typhoon struck South Korea, killing 1,104 people.[1]
July 10, 1939 – a typhoon struck the western coast of North Korea.[2]
July 12, 1940 – local newspapers reported a typhoon that struck the city of Seoul, killing 52 people.[3]
August 4, 1945 – Tropical Storm Eva moved northwards affecting much of peninsula before dissipating.
August 19–20, 1946 – as a weakening storm, Tropical Storm Lilly made landfall over South Korea and affected much of the peninsula.
1980s
August 28, 1986 ― Typhoon Vera made landfall near the Kunsan Air Base in South Korea. Nationwide, a total of 1,852 structures were damaged, which resulted in over 6,000 people being homeless.
July 15, 1987 ― Typhoon Thelma strikes South Korea and moves northward. Rainfall across the nation varied, but peaked at 270 mm (11 in) in Kangnung. In all, 123 people died from the typhoon.
August 2–3, 1987 ― Tropical Depression Alex moves over North Korea. The storm deluged the country with up to 300 mm (12 in) of rainfall in a single day.
August 30–31, 1987 ― Typhoon Dinah nears the southeastern coast of South Korea without making landfall, however the typhoon brought strong winds and rainfall, with a peak rainfall total of 300 mm (11.8 in) being measured in South Chungcheong Province. 33 people died from the typhoon.
July 28–29, 1989 ― Tropical Storm Judy made landfall to the west of Busan. Heavy rains from the storm exacerbated ongoing floods, leading to at least 20 fatalities.
September 17, 1989 ― The remnant low of Tropical Storm Vera passed by the Korean Peninsula.
Tropical Storm Gladys in August 1991; it is the seventh deadliest storm to hit the region
September 1, 1990 ― Tropical Storm Abe brought heavy rain and gale-force winds to South Korea prior to transitioning to an extratropical cyclone near the east coast of the peninsula.[4]
July 29–30, 1991 ― Typhoon Caitlin, while nearing the region, had typhoon warnings across much of South Korea. Caitlin triggered torrential rainfall that only killed two people.
August 22–23, 1991 ― Tropical Storm Gladys passes by South Korea bringing heavy rainfall. During a 24-hour period in Ulsan, 420 mm (16.4 in) of rain fell, the most ever recorded on record.[5] 90 people died from the storm.
September 27, 1991 ― The outer rain bands of Typhoon Mireille, the costliest typhoon at the time (and the costliest typhoon on record, if inflation is taken into account), brought rainfall and rough seas in South Korea, which killed two people.
August 10, 1993 ― Typhoon Robyn brought rough seas up to 6.1 to 10.7 m (20 to 35 ft) along the southeastern coast of South Korea. Roughly 45 people were killed by the typhoon.
September 28–30, 1998 ― Typhoon Yanni brings a tremendous amount of rainfall that killed 50 people.
July 27–28, 1999 ― Tropical Storm Neil affects South Korea. There were wind gusts of up to 95 km/h (60 mph) on Cheju Island and the peak rainfall reported from the storm was over 200 mm (8 inches).[10] As the storm dissipated over Korea, it caused flash floods that killed at least seven and left 7,000 homeless.[11]
August 3, 1999 ― Typhoon Olga impacts the Korean Peninsula. 106 people have been killed due to torrential rainfall that led to landslides, along with strong winds.
August 26–27, 2000 ― The weakening remnant system of Typhoon Bilis caused torrential precipitation across South Korea. At Kunsan Air Base, 468 mm (18.42 in) of rain was recorded over a 48-hour period; this two-day total was over three times the August average for the location.[13]
August 31, 2002 ― Typhoon Rusa made landfall over Goheung, South Korea. It was the most powerful typhoon to strike the country in 43 years. 233 people died there, with an extra three from North Korea.
September 11–12, 2003 ― Typhoon Maemi impacts Korea as a strong typhoon. It was one of the most powerful typhoons to strike South Korea. 117 people have died from the typhoon.
July 4, 2004 ― The extratropical remnants of Typhoon Mindulle affected the peninsula bringing rainfall and strong winds.
August 17–19, 2004 ― Typhoon Megi brought heavy rainfall over South Korea. The heaviest 24‑hour rain total was 332.5 mm in Wando.
September 6–7, 2004 ― The outskirts of the typhoon dropped heavy rainfall in South Korea, with a peak 24‑hour total of 112 mm (4.4 in) on the offshore island of Ulleungdo. On the mainland, Pohang recorded 110.5 mm (4.35 in) of rainfall over 24 hours.[16]
August 8, 2005 ― The remnants of Typhoon Matsa produced moderate amounts of rainfall reaching 229 mm (9.0 in) in Masan.[17]
September 6–7, 2005 ― Typhoon Nabi nears the eastern portion of South Korea, bringing record rainfall in Ulsan and Pohang. The periphery of the storm produced gusts of 121 km/h (75 mph) in the port city of Busan.[18]
May 19, 2006 ― The trough that engulfed the remnant low of Chanchu drew moisture from the typhoon, leading to heavy rainfall in portions of South Korea that reached 144 mm (5.7 in) on Jeju Island. Along with strong winds, the rains caused ferry and flight cancelations.[19]
July 9–10, 2006 ― Typhoon Ewiniar hits the Korean Peninsula. Severe flooding and several landslides occurred. Damages throughout the country amounted to ₩2.06 trillion (US$1.4 billion),[20] while there has been roughly 203 people who have been killed - with most coming from North Korea.
September 17–18, 2007 ― Typhoon Shanshan and its outer outflow brought heavy rainfall over southeastern Korea. Busan had reported 60 mm (2 inches) of rainfall at that time.[22]
September 16–17, 2007 ― Typhoon Nari made landfall over South Korea, bringing torrential rainfall. The hardest hit area was Jeju Island, where rainfall amounted to a record 590 mm (23.2 in).[23] 20 people were killed.[24]Jeju Island was declared a national disaster area by the South Korean government.[25]
September 20–21, 2007 ― The remnant low of Typhoon Wipha affected the Korean Peninsula, with most of its effects seen in North Korea, where their flooding has worsened. A total of 1,649 people were left homeless following the storm.[26]
July 22, 2008 ― The remnants of Typhoon Kalmaegi produced heavy rains over the Korean Peninsula, peaking at 237.5 mm (9.3 in) in Seoul. Heavy flooding killed four people.
August 12, 2009 ― The remnants of Typhoon Morakot brought rainfall over the Korean Peninsula.[27]
2010s
August 11, 2010 ― Tropical Storm Dianmu made landfall over the southern coast of South Korea. Heavy rainfall was mostly experienced.
September 1, 2010 ― Typhoon Kompasu struck the Seoul Metropolitan Area as a Category 1 typhoon. Heavy rainfall and gusty winds were experienced, which caused widespread traffic delays in Seoul.
June 26, 2011 ― Tropical Storm Meari nears the southwestern coast of the peninsula. Heavy rainfall and rough seas were seen. The storm contributed in bringing rainfall that occurred for six consecutive days in Seoul.[28]
August 7–8, 2011 ― Typhoon Muifa batters the western portion of the region. The storm's fierce winds led to cancellation of several flights, power outages and fallen trees.
July 19, 2012 ― Tropical Storm Khanun impacts the peninsula, dumping heavy precipitation. Heavy flooding was experienced due to some dams discharging water. Losses across the country were at ₩1.5 billion (US$11.4 million).[29]
September 16–18, 2012 ― Typhoon Sanba impacts the Korean Peninsula as a strong typhoon. Numerous structures along rivers were damaged or destroyed by flooding. Across the nation, four people were killed and the damage from the typhoon reached ₩365.7 billion (US$328 million).[31]
August 1–4, 2014 ― Tropical Storm Nakri brings record-breaking rainfall over the southern provinces of South Korea. Gusty winds were experienced in Jeju.
August 11, 2015 ― The extratropical remnants of Typhoon Soudelor brought locally heavy rain to parts of South Korea, with accumulations reaching 25 to 60 mm (0.98 to 2.4 in).[35]
August 24–25, 2015 ― Typhoon Goni brings heavy rainfall throughout most of South Korea and North Korea. Flooding in North Korea killed 40 people.
August 31 – September 15, 2016 – The remnants of Typhoon Lionrock hit North Korea, causing widespread flooding that led to the deaths of at least 525 people. This made Lionrock the deadliest typhoon to strike the Korean Peninsula since Typhoon Sarah 57 years prior.[36][37]
August 23–24, 2018 ― Typhoon Soulik batters the Korean Peninsula. 86 people were killed by the typhoon.[40]
October 5–6, 2018 ― Typhoon Kong-rey made landfall in Tongyeong City, Gyeongsangnam-do. Busan and Jeju experienced the worst effects, suffering from severe flooding and power outages.
August 6–7, 2019 ― Typhoon Francisco nears the eastern coast of the peninsula, producing rainfall the most along the east coast, peaking at 190 mm (7.5 in) at Seoraksan.[41]
September 7, 2019 – Typhoon Lingling hits the western coast of North Korea. Power outages were seen in many areas and damages in the region were toppled to ₩28.76 billion (US$24.1 million).[42][43]
August 5–6, 2020 ― The extratropical low of the former Typhoon Hagupit dumped heavy rainfall towards the Korean Peninsula. Up to 5.7 inches (145 mm) of rain was reported in the South Korean city of Suwon.[46] A landslide there killed six people.
August 26–27, 2020 ― Typhoon Bavi caused widespread structural damage and flooding over North Korea. Five people were swept away from rough seas in Jeju Island.
September 7, 2020 ― The last of three consecutive typhoons to hit the region, Typhoon Haishen brought widespread flooding and gusty winds. Total damage along with Typhoon Maysak were calculated at ₩606.3 billion (US$510 million).[49]
The following list are the ten most deadly storms that impacted the Korean Peninsula. Total number of deaths recorded are only from the country itself.
^Ted Anthony (2002-07-05). "Storm sweeps China's east coast, killing five people in migrant-worker village". Associated Press. – via Lexis Nexis (subscription required)
^Kim So-young (2003-06-20). "Heavy rain soaks southern region". Korea Herald. – via Lexis Nexis (subscription required)
