South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung told public officials on Tuesday to "spare no effort" in the search for missing people and on damage recovery after days of torrential rains left a trail of destruction in various parts of the country.

Torrential rains in South Korea over five days have caused 17 deaths and left 11 people missing, officials report.

As rescuers search for the missing under the rubble, thousands of evacuated villagers face the daunting task of rebuilding their homes.