South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has launched a pilot urban flood forecast project in six autonomous districts around Gangnam Station [1].

The initiative aims to prevent the recurrence of catastrophic urban flooding, such as the subway inundations that paralyzed the district in 2022 [1]. By providing early warnings during extreme rainfall, the government intends to protect critical infrastructure and public safety in one of the city's most developed areas [2].

The system integrates data from rainwater, rivers, and sewage systems [1]. To achieve this, the government installed water-level gauges and CCTV cameras inside manholes [1]. These sensors analyze flood risks every 10 minutes [1], allowing authorities to send safety alert messages to residents and commuters in real time [2].

This technological deployment follows years of vulnerability to extreme weather. In the summer of 2026, the region experienced record-breaking rainfall that reached 140mm in a single hour [1]. The pilot project comes four years after the major flooding event at Gangnam Station [1].

President Lee Jae-myung addressed the irony of the city's infrastructure failures during a May 2026 interview [1]. "The capital of South Korea, and Gangnam, which is the most well-developed, had its subways flooded when it rained. It is an absurd thing," Lee said [1].

The project focuses on the high-density areas of the Gangnam district, where the combination of concrete surfaces and heavy traffic often leads to rapid water accumulation [2]. The Ministry will monitor the effectiveness of these 10-minute analysis cycles to determine if the system should be expanded to other parts of the Seoul metropolitan area [1].

“The system integrates data from rainwater, rivers, and sewage systems.”

The shift toward high-frequency, sensor-based monitoring reflects a transition from general weather forecasting to hyper-local 'urban flood' forecasting. By integrating manhole-level data with real-time alerts, Seoul is attempting to mitigate the 'urban heat island' and 'concrete jungle' effects that make Gangnam particularly susceptible to flash floods during extreme precipitation events.