Heavy rain collapses solar farm embankments and floods rice paddies in South Korea
2021Published 31 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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What happened
In July 2021, heavy rain caused about two metres of stone embankments and 20 metres of barbed wire fencing at a solar farm in Seokdong Village, Gangjin County, South Jeolla Province, to collapse, according to residents and the village. The site was created in 2016, when more than 25,400 square metres of forest were cleared for solar panels. Since then, residents say soil has washed away from the facilities in each summer's rainy season.
The village reports that the collapse completely flooded the village's rice paddies. Nobody was on site at the time and nobody was hurt. According to the village, the company that installed the panels did not come to carry out repairs for months. The Korea Times reported the incident in October 2021 as part of a wider series on solar farms in mountain areas.
Contributing factors
Residents and the village attribute the failure to clearance of forest on a mountain slope for construction, which they say left soil exposed to heavy rain. Heavy rainfall fell in July 2021. This causal link is the residents' view and is not established by the source. The Korea Forest Service said after a 2020 investigation that only 0.8 percent of landslides nationally occurred near solar farms. The source does not say whether this site was built before or after the strengthened landslide regulations.
Lessons learned
- Assess landslide and erosion risk on mountain slopes before clearing forest, and reassess the risk after construction.
- Inspect embankments, drainage and fencing after heavy rain and at the start of each rainy season, not only at commissioning.
- Agree repair response times with the installer and keep a named local contact, so that damage to neighbouring land is fixed promptly.
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Published 2026-10-31. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
