RAIN TAKES OVER NATION

[Anchor Lead]

It's been raining every three days in Korea since spring. This year's monsoon season is expected to start a week later than in previous years.

[Pkg]

It started raining in the greater Seoul area on Friday morning, and now the rain has spread across the country. May 2021 had the most rainy days on record. This month has also been on a similar track as it's been raining every three days. However, meteorologists say the recent frequent rainfall has nothing to do with the monsoon season. Satellite images show a whirlpool of clouds from China's northeast passing by the Korean Peninsula. The current rain was brought by the low atmospheric pressure from the north, not the monsoon front, which is now hovering over southern Japan. Meteorologists say the monsoon front can't approach Korea because the cold, dry air from the north is covering the peninsula.

[Soundbite] Woo Jin-kyu(Korea Meteorological Administration) : "As the low atmospheric pressure keeps moving slowly, it brings the cold air from the north."

The trend will likely continue for the time being. Because of the low atmospheric pressure, the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon-do Province will see more rain early next week. It is predicted that the monsoon front will not be able to approach the peninsula by next weekend, either. The monsoon season usually begins in Korea around June 19 starting with Jejudo Island. It moves on to the southern regions around June 23 and reaches the central part of the country by June 25. This year's monsoon rains will likely be a week late. However, meteorologists are urging the public to prepare for heavy rain as precipitation in the early days of the monsoon season in early July is expected to be either similar to the previous years or in higher concentration.