The Whole Country 'Frozen Solid'... Some Air and Sea Routes Closed Due to Severe Cold Wave

On the holiday of the 17th, a severe cold wave swept across the country, causing cancellations of some flights and passenger ferry operations. Heavy snowfall centered around Jeju, Honam, and Chungcheong regions led to continuous damage.

As of 3 p.m. that day, a heavy snow warning was issued for the Jeolla West Coast and Jeju Island, with snowfall of 1 to 4 cm per hour occurring mainly in those areas.

As of 11 a.m. that day, flight operations to and from Jeju Island were disrupted. The original flight schedule included a total of 467 flights, of which 12 flights were canceled, including 7 domestic arrivals and 5 domestic departures. Additionally, 30 flights were delayed, including 12 domestic arrivals and 18 domestic departures.

On that day, heavy snow fell mainly in the mountainous areas of Jeju Island, leading to a complete closure of all trails in Hallasan National Park.

Furthermore, due to a wind wave advisory issued for the West Sea, all passenger ferry operations connecting Incheon and the islands were disrupted. Operations of 9 passenger ferries on 7 routes, including Incheon to Baengnyeongdo, were suspended, and 7 ferries on 6 routes, such as from Hang-ri in Ganghwa-do to Seogeom, were on standby.

In Jeollanam-do, 83 passenger ferries on 53 routes to and from islands were completely canceled due to strong winds, and in Jeollabuk-do, ferry operations on 5 routes were suspended.

At around 10:10 PM on the 16th, a KTX Sancheon train heading from Cheonan-Asan Station to Gwangmyeong Station experienced a crack on the exterior glass window.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, various dangerous accidents caused by the cold weather have continued unabated. Around 10 p.m. the previous day, a crack occurred on the outer glass window of a KTX train running from Cheonan-Asan Station to Gwangmyeong Station. Fortunately, since the KTX cars have a double-glass structure with both inner and outer glass, no injuries were reported.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that although there were 4 cases of meter freezing due to nationwide heavy snow and cold waves, all have now been restored.

The Korea Meteorological Administration stated, "Due to low temperatures, many icy roads are expected in areas where snow is falling," and added, "With strong winds and very cold conditions, please take special care to prevent safety accidents, damage to facilities, and health issues caused by snow, strong winds, and cold waves."

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