SEOUL - The Republic of Korea ordered people living near rivers in its central region to evacuate homes on Thursday as heavy monsoon showers dumped more than 300 mm of rain, while warnings went out across a large swathe of the country, including the capital.

The rain caused cancellation of more than 24 flights at the Incheon international airport on the west coast, and also disrupted train services in Seoul, emergency authorities said.

Although July brings annual monsoon rain, summer months in recent years have seen weather extremes that President Yoon Suk-yeol has said should be anticipated as a result of climate change

The government was watching for sudden surges in rivers flowing from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

READ MORE: No hope of survivors in Nepal bus accident, 55 still missing

"We're monitoring the water level in the main rivers shared by the South and the North in real time," a military spokesman, Lee Chang-hyun, told a briefing.

Although July brings annual monsoon rain, summer months in recent years have seen weather extremes that President Yoon Suk-yeol has said should be anticipated as a result of climate change.