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Busan Metropolitan City Conducts Simulation Drill for Resident Evacuation in Preparation for Landslide Disasters

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that on July 25 at 3:30 p.m., a resident evacuation simulation drill (hereinafter referred to as the “drill”) was conducted in cooperation with districts and counties at Busan Citizens Park to strengthen preparedness for landslide disasters during the summer season.

The drill focused on pre-checking the coordinated response and role division of public officials, on-site personnel, working departments, relevant organizations, and civilian supporters to protect the lives and properties of citizens.

A “simulation drill” is a training exercise in which procedures, plans, and strategies are reviewed and rehearsed through discussions based on hypothetical scenarios. This drill simulated a pre-evacuation scenario for residents in response to the risk of a landslide during extreme rainfall*.

* Extreme rainfall: More than 50mm of rain per hour combined with more than 90mm over 3 hours, or more than 72mm in an hour.

The scenario proceeded with a sense of urgency and realism as follows:

• ●[22:00, September 11, 2025] “Daily rainfall of 120mm, cumulative rainfall of 280mm, with an additional 100mm forecasted by the next day”

• ●[22:10] District and county situation assessment meeting, issuance of “Warning” level for landslide

• ●[22:20] Korea Forest Service issues “Severe” landslide crisis alert for Busan

• ●[22:30] District and county assessment meeting results in a “Resident Evacuation Decision”

• ●[23:00] Resident evacuation begins

In the drill, the City issued a “Severe” level landslide warning to notify of the danger, while districts and counties held situation assessment meetings in response and made and supported decisions for resident evacuation. Through this training, the City aims to improve the landslide disaster response capabilities of each district and county, and to enhance and refine its disaster response system by incorporating key insights drawn from the exercise.

This particular drill was notable as the first ever resident evacuation simulation drill for landslide disaster preparedness conducted jointly by a metropolitan government and its local governments, with a total of 40 participants (10 from the City, 30 from districts/counties).

Prior to the drill, in the first half of 2025, the City completed the construction of erosion control facilities at 20 locations as part of its landslide prevention project and conducted a comprehensive inspection of landslide-vulnerable areas before the rainy season. The City also carried out public outreach efforts to raise awareness of “Landslide Safety Guidelines for the Public” in forest-adjacent areas to strengthen preparedness.

Additionally, each district and county deployed 60 members of the Landslide Site Prevention Team to vulnerable forest areas to remove obstructive debris such as driftwood, leaves, soil, rocks, and trash that could impede the flow of water during heavy rainfall. The teams also conducted on-site inspections for abnormalities in erosion control structures and implemented preventive measures. A resident evacuation system was also established, including public education in forest areas and dissemination of alerts in dangerous situations.

The City further enhanced expertise by strengthening training management, requiring landslide response officials to complete job training at the Korea Forest Education Center and practical training for Landslide Site Prevention Team members at the Erosion Control Technology Training Center in Gyeongsangbuk-do. Public outreach activities promoting “Landslide Safety Guidelines for the Public” continue to be carried out to spread a culture of landslide safety.

During the summer natural disaster countermeasure period (May 15–October 15), the City operates a “Landslide Countermeasure Situation Room” to oversee all landslide prevention and response activities. It also plans to establish a seamless disaster response system covering prevention through recovery by maintaining emergency contact networks and cooperation systems with districts, counties, and relevant agencies.

An Cheol-soo, Director General of the Green City Bureau, stated, “We are doing our utmost to minimize damage to citizens’ lives and property from summer landslides,” and added, “We ask for citizens’ active cooperation by staying alert to disaster information during heavy rainfall and evacuating in advance if a landslide is likely.”