Weeks of heavy rain this fall have caused serious damage to farms across Korea, leaving many farmers anxious about their future. In Yeongdong County, a soybean farmer discovered that his crops had turned gray and wrinkled, rather than ripening to a healthy yellow. The beans came close to maturity several times, but repeated rainfall caused them to rot before harvest.
Grape farms also suffered. Shine Muscat growers reported that their grapes couldn’t reach the sweetness needed for sale after weeks of cloudy, wet weather. Rice farmers faced disease outbreaks and sprouting grains, while in cabbage-growing areas like Haenam and PyeongChang counties, entire fields had to be destroyed due to rot. One farmer in PyeongChang County lost thousands of cabbages when rot spread rapidly.
Experts say extreme weather is becoming more frequent and could continue to threaten crops. Farmers are urging the government to strengthen disaster aid programs, warning that without help, next year’s cabbage and grain harvests could face severe shortages.
For many rural communities, this harvest season has shown that climate change is not a distant threat; it’s already reshaping daily life and agriculture.