Heavy Snow Forecast Overnight in Seoul Metropolitan Area and Gangwon … Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Activates Level 1 Emergency Operations

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] On the 17th, as a heavy snow advisory was issued for the metropolitan area and southern Yeongseo region of Gangwon Province, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it began Level 1 emergency duty of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters at 2 p.m. that day to respond to the heavy snow.

In the afternoon, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety held an emergency countermeasure meeting with related ministries including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and 17 cities and provinces to review each agency's heavy snow measures and decided to activate the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for proactive response.

During the meeting, it was decided to focus on preemptive measures such as pre-spreading de-icing agents, standby of snow removal equipment, monitoring of structures vulnerable to snow accumulation, prioritizing snow removal on roads adjacent to COVID-19 clinics, and cooperation on snow removal for roads at city and county boundaries to minimize damage.

In particular, to prevent traffic congestion during the Monday morning commute on the 18th, public transportation services will be increased, and administrative and public institutions at all levels are encouraged to adjust working hours and urge private institutions to participate.

Kim Hee-gyeom, Director of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, requested, "During the heavy snow on the 6th, insufficient information sharing among agencies and delayed snow removal caused inconvenience to the public. Please prepare thoroughly to ensure such situations do not recur."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.