The Korea Forest Service issued its highest landslide warning for the central and southern parts of South Korea at 9 p.m. Friday due to continued downpours, Yonhap reported. The 12 areas include the cities of Daejeon and Sejong and the provinces of North and South Chungcheong in the central part of the country, as well as the cities of Busan, Daegu, Gwangju and Ulsan and the provinces of North and South Jeolla and North and South Gyeongsang, the Korea Forest Service said. Two cities -- Seoul and Incheon -- and two provinces -- Gyeonggi and Gangwon -- have been placed under the third-highest level of the four-level warning system, while the second-highest warning has been posted for Jeju Island. Weeklong heavy rains have pounded most parts of South Korea, especially the central part of the country. Following the issuing of warnings, a landslide destroyed a house in Gokseong, 408 kilometers south of Seoul, leaving three people dead. Emergency service workers on the scene are in the process of searching for others who may be trapped under the debris, local government sources said.
