A domestic insurance company found that eight of 10 flood-prone road sites in South Korea showed no visible improvements to rain-water gutters [4].

This lack of infrastructure maintenance increases the risk of widespread vehicle damage during monsoon seasons, as debris-clogged drains allow water to rise rapidly into engine bays.

The company conducted inspections of sites that suffered the highest levels of vehicle-flood damage during the previous monsoon cycle [4]. According to the insurer's data, 2,908 vehicles were flooded between July and September 2023 [1]. The financial impact of these incidents was significant, with estimated damage costs reaching approximately 21.7 billion KRW [2].

The data reveals a critical peak in flooding on July 17, 2023, when 1,004 vehicles were flooded in a single day [3]. The insurer said that inadequate maintenance of rain-water gutters, specifically the buildup of trash, prevented water from draining, leading to the flooding of road surfaces.

Of the 10 sites inspected by the company, only two had improved gutters [5]. The remaining eight sites showed no visible changes to their drainage systems [6]. The findings suggest that basic maintenance, such as removing trash from gutters, is a primary requirement for preventing future flood damage.

An anchor for YTN said that simply clearing the trash accumulated in rain-water gutters can be a great help in preventing flood damage.

“Only two of 10 high-risk road sites showed improved rain-water gutters.”

The disparity between the high cost of vehicle damage and the low rate of drainage improvement suggests a gap in municipal preventative maintenance. While the financial burden falls on insurance companies and vehicle owners, the solution is a low-cost public works task. This highlights a systemic failure to address known high-risk locations despite clear historical data on where flooding occurs.