▲ A damaged aquatic island hanging on a new bridge near Uiam Dam


The police boat, which was in the process of fixing aquatic islands at the Uiam Dam in Chuncheon, sank, and a private rubber boat and a Chuncheon City Hall administrative line (environmental monitoring line) were rescued, but all three were overturned and seven people disappeared.

At the time of the accident, the Uiam Dam was discharged from the floodgates due to heavy rain for six days, and the overturned ships swept down through the 13m-wide dam floodgate.

The accident occurred today (6th) at about 11:30 am at 500m above the Seoam Uiam Dam in Chuncheon, Gangwon.

According to eyewitnesses, a police boat went to work to fix the aquatic islands that were drifting away by heavy rain, and was caught in the wires installed to protect the dam and sank from the back.

Two private boats, including a rubber boat with one private employee and an administrative boat with city hall fixed-term workers, were rescued, but all were overturned.

Immediately after the accident, the ships were swept downstream through the water gates of Uiam Dam, 13m wide.

Two people, including one police officer, were riding in the police boat, one on a rubber boat, and five people including city hall officials and fixed-term workers on an administrative boat.

Eight people were onboard three ships, of which one worker in a police boat managed to escape and found seven missing.

One out of every seven missing people was found dead at around 12:58 during the day near the Chunseong Bridge downstream of the Uiam Dam.


They reportedly had an accident trying to seize the large aquatic islands that had been installed to purify the water quality of Uiam Lake as they drifted downstream to the dam.

An eyewitness said, “The police were assisting the anchoring of the aquatic islands, and when they saw it sinking on a wire, a private company employee went to rescue on a rubber boat, but was also overthrown with the city hall administration.”

Police officers believe that the police boat was sunk from the back of the wire installed in front of the Uiam Dam, and the rubber boats and administrative ships approached to rescue them were also sunk.

Firefighting authorities are establishing an emergency rescue control team near the Gyeonggang Bridge in Seocheon-ri, Nam-myeon, Chuncheon-si, and are recovering from the accident.

(Photo = Yonhap News)