Recent record-breaking heavy rainfall is hitting the Korean Peninsula. Gwangju recorded a daily precipitation of 450mm, while Chungnam's Seosan has accumulated 500mm, with various regions across the country being overwhelmed by water bombs exceeding their limits. Consequently, there is a growing call to reevaluate the current '200-year frequency' design for the Saemangeum area.

According to the Saemangeum Permanent Sea Water Distribution Headquarters on the 18th, the drainage gates of the Saemangeum seawall are designed under the assumption that concentrated heavy rainfall, i.e., over 300mm of rainfall, occurs once every 200 years. However, recent weather anomalies are rendering this design standard ineffective. In Gunsan's Acheongdo, 146mm of rainfall per hour was recorded, while the Iksan area saw 255mm of rainfall in a day. Concentrated heavy rainfall exceeding the 200-year frequency is no longer an exceptional event.

In response, Han Seung-woo, a councilor from Jeonju, emphasized during the 2024 Pressian Emergency Symposium 'The Advent of the Saemangeum 2.0 Era and New Challenges' that it is urgent to adjust the existing 200-year frequency standard to a 500-year frequency due to the increasing frequency of sea level rise and concentrated heavy rainfall caused by climate change. He stressed the need to comprehensively review the water level management and infrastructure development plans accordingly.

The Saemangeum Permanent Sea Water Distribution Headquarters urged that according to the IPCC report, sea levels are predicted to rise by up to 90cm by 2100. They warned that if the current Saemangeum water management level of -1.5m is maintained, waterfront cities will be left vulnerable to flooding. They called for a fundamental readjustment of the Saemangeum basic plan in response to the climate crisis.

In particular, they cautioned that if the government and Jeollabuk-do Province proceed with indiscriminate waterfront city development and sales plans, they will not be able to avoid responsibility for future disasters.