Heavy Snow Warnings Nationwide... Icy Road Accidents Continue

Heavy Snow and Strong Winds Block Sky and Sea Routes in Many Areas
Up to 30cm of Snow Forecasted Until the 19th

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Yeju] On the 17th, a heavy snow warning was issued across various parts of the country. As heavy snow fell, air and sea routes were blocked, and accidents occurred on roads in many areas.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, as of 4 p.m. that day, the major regional snowfall amounts were 10.9 cm in Seocheon-gun, Chungnam, 10.1 cm in Taean-gun, Chungnam, 14.2 cm in Gunsan-si, Jeonbuk, 8 cm in Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk, and 8.9 cm at Samgakbong (mountain area), Jeju.

Heavy snow warnings were in effect for the Chungcheong region, Jeolla province, and Jeju. The special warnings issued in the early morning for Daejeon-si, Sejong-si, the West Sea 5 islands, and Hwaseong and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi were all lifted by the afternoon.

Due to snow and strong winds, flights and ship operations were disrupted that day.

Jeju Airport, where a sudden wind shear and strong wind warning were issued, experienced additional weather issues at other airports, resulting in 12 flight cancellations (7 departures, 5 arrivals) and 116 delayed flights (73 departures, 43 arrivals) as of 3 p.m. Three flights between Gunsan Airport and Jeju were also all canceled.

Strong winds at sea meant that only 2 out of 11 passenger ships on 8 routes connecting Jeju and other regions were operating. Passenger ship operations on 9 routes, including Incheon?Baengnyeongdo and Incheon?Yeonpyeongdo, involving 11 ships were suspended, and 3 ships on 2 routes such as Yeongjongdo Sammok?Jangbongdo were also not operating that day. Only 4 ships on 3 relatively inland routes, including Ganghwado Hari?Seogeom and Seonsu?Jumun, were scheduled to operate normally.

As snow froze on the roads, traffic accidents occurred in several places.

According to the Gwangju-Jeonnam Fire Headquarters and police, at around 9:19 a.m. that day, a passenger car and a 1-ton truck collided on a two-lane one-way national road in Donggang-myeon, Naju-si, Jeonnam. At around 8:49 a.m., a passenger car slipped on an icy curve and fell into a ditch on a one-lane one-way road in Samdo-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, causing one driver to sustain minor injuries and be transported to a hospital. At around 8:07 a.m., a passenger car slipped on a snowy road and crashed into a guardrail on a one-lane one-way road in Sijong-myeon, Yeongam-gun, Jeonnam, but no casualties were reported.

With the heavy snow advisory issued, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety activated Level 1 of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) from 7 a.m. that day and raised the crisis alert level from 'Interest' to 'Caution.'

According to weather forecasts, strong snowfall of 3 to 5 cm per hour is expected mainly along the west coast of Chungnam, Jeolla province, and Jeju until the 19th, with some areas in the western Jeolla region and Jeju expected to receive more than 30 cm of snow.

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