Seoul City Deploys 9,000 Personnel for Snow Removal in Response to 'Heavy Snow Warning' Issuance

Advance Deployment of Personnel and Snowplows
Increased Operation of Public Transportation

As up to 10 cm of heavy snow is forecasted to fall across Seoul on the 3rd, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has begun full-scale snow removal operations. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] With up to 10 cm of heavy snow forecast across Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched full-scale snow removal operations.

As of 7 p.m. on the 3rd, Seoul deployed a total of 8,998 personnel, including 6,852 public officials and 2,146 workers, along with 824 vehicles and 187 pieces of equipment, totaling 1,011 units. Approximately 1,600 tons of de-icing agents were prepared.

Earlier, as a heavy snow warning was issued for the entire Seoul area, the city declared snow removal stage 2 from 2 p.m. that day and entered an emergency duty system.

The city allocated personnel and equipment to vulnerable roads such as alleys and steep slopes where heavy snow accumulation is expected, as well as major points prone to traffic congestion. Around 4 p.m., the city instructed each autonomous district and business office to pre-apply de-icing agents.

Additionally, to prepare for traffic congestion, traffic police were deployed at heavy snow vulnerable points, and cooperation was requested from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to enable traffic control.

To proactively carry out snow removal on roads expected to be congested with vehicles moving from Seoul to the Gyeonggi Province area during rush hour, cooperation was also requested from Gyeonggi Province and the Korea Expressway Corporation.

Public transportation such as subways and buses will also increase operations. The concentrated dispatch times during the 3rd’s evening rush hour and the 4th’s morning rush hour will be extended by 30 minutes each. The existing hours of 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. will be extended to 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. will be extended to 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. City buses’ nighttime reduced operations due to COVID-19 will be temporarily lifted.

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