The main natural hazards in South Korea are Typhoons and Floods, the reason for this is because of their extratropical transitioning, mountainous terrain, and prior landfalls that all lead to high precipitation. Because of this high precipitation the north and east sides of Typhoons are enhanced as they approach from the south. With flooding its because much of Koreas cities have developed to have more pavement and impermeable surfaces, more than 50% of Seoul's land is actually impermeable which means that when Korea floods the ground doesn't even allow the water to be absorbed some what it just continues to flow and flood more.
During Typhoon Maemi some of the ways Korea tried to mitigate damage was by issuing flood warning before the typhoon was said to hit. Thanks to this they were able to evacuate 25000 people to schools or relative homes. All ferry and airplane services were also canceled in Jeju Island. After the typhoon alongside Typhoon Rusa, Korea has taken many measures to try and mitigate the damage and flooding these typhoons cause. For instance building dams along the countries four major rivers to help prevent flooding, increasing sewer capacity, creating rainwater storage by use of underground tanks, utilizing flood forecasting and flood analysis models to determine when and where the risk of flooding is highest, and controlling water flow with levees, dams, stream gates, and pumping facilities, all to help try and mitigate the damage typhoons and flooding's cause.
The first place I would target to first help would be Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The reason for this is because just recently there was a huge flood in Seoul that showed how even with all the mitigation efforts it was still unprepared to deal with something like this. The flood cost the poorer parts of Seoul to suffer more than the richer parts. With most poor homes being destroyed and the poor suffering the consequences while the rich people are safe. Citizens were also outraged with no official guidelines or preventative measures being put into place immediately after the disaster.
The way some of these problems can be fixed is by maintaining proper water runoff and drainage. This way the rain has a way to leave the city and not get clogged thereby causing a flood. They can also install flood vents inside homes, this allows water to flow freely through an enclosed space such as a garage. This helps prevent the build up of pressure that is capable of destroying walls and foundations, as long as the vent is clear of debris and unclogged it can save people and prevent homes from being destroyed.
Despite this the place I would build a home if I were to live in Korea would be Seoul. This is because while there was the recent devastating flood and it is prone to natural hazards it is still one of the safest places in Korea and with the recent flood bringing to light the shortcomings Korea still has it means that more solutions will be thought of to help prevent situations like this from happening making Seoul and the rest of Korea more resistant to things like floods and Typhoons in the future.
References:
https://thediplomat.com/2022/08/unprecedented-rainstorm-exposes-south-koreas-blind-spots/
https://www.air-worldwide.com/SiteAssets/Publications/Brochures/documents/AIR-Typhoon-Model-for-South-Korea#:~:text=South%20Korea's%20coastal%20mountains%20enhance,far%20offshore%20can%20cause%20flooding.
https://www.air-worldwide.com/publications/air-currents/2010/Managing-Typhoon-Risk-in-South-Korea/
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/after-deluge-climate-change-fears-make-skorea-prioritise-seoul-flood-defences-2022-08-11/#:~:text=The%20city's%20development%20meant%20increased,and%20office%20buildings%2C%20experts%20said.
https://www.corelogic.com/intelligence/three-things-to-know-historic-flooding-in-seoul-south-korea/
