Gyeonggi Province Takes Preemptive Action Against Heavy Snow... Pre-Application of De-Icing Agents and More

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government will strengthen the control tower function of its Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters by specifying in detail the pre-snowfall de-icing agent application times by region and enhancing snow removal management on privately operated roads, which have previously lacked sufficient oversight.

On December 10, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government announced that it had diagnosed the problems in its response to the first snowfall on December 4 and would implement an “Improvement Plan for Heavy Snow Response System” to address these issues.

The provincial government assessed that, due to snow clouds moving faster than expected that day, there was insufficient pre-application of de-icing agents. As a result, severe traffic congestion occurred around 6 p.m. when commuters headed home. The extreme congestion prevented snow removal vehicles deployed on-site from carrying out snow removal operations as planned, both in terms of sections and frequency, which further worsened the situation.

According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, road congestion and standstills were exacerbated by delayed snow removal operations and vehicle breakdowns, with some roads experiencing congestion even past midnight.

In response, the provincial government has decided to further strengthen the control tower function of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters during heavy snow disaster response.

First, the government will specify the pre-application times for de-icing agents by region, taking into account snowfall conditions in nearby areas such as Baengnyeongdo and Hwanghaedo, as well as the movement speed of snow clouds, to ensure timely snow removal operations. By standardizing the exact pre-application times in the manual, the aim is to avoid missing the golden time for de-icing agent application. Previously, local governments were instructed to apply de-icing agents before snowfall, and each city or county conducted snow removal independently.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government also plans to directly share and monitor not only the status of de-icing agent application on major roads in each city and county, but also the start times and snow removal status on inter-city and inter-county sections, which could otherwise be neglected.

To strengthen snow removal on privately operated roads, the government will require the seven private road operators-including the Seo-Suwon to Uiwang route-to participate in pre-snowfall preparedness meetings and in communication channels with the province, cities, counties, and related organizations. The Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters at both the provincial and city/county levels will also directly monitor snow removal performance on these private roads.

Additionally, to address causes of congestion during snowfall, such as inclines and breakdowns of large vehicles, the government will expand the distribution of small de-icing agent packages (around 2kg each) and operate emergency vehicles equipped with batteries and chains for large vehicles. In the event of unavoidable congestion, emergency measures such as detour guidance and access control to congested sections will also be implemented.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government plans to implement these improvements starting this coming weekend, when snowfall is expected, to minimize inconvenience for residents.

Lee Jongdon, Director of Safety Management at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, stated, “Since the snowfall on December 4 caused significant inconvenience for residents, we will thoroughly prepare to ensure the effectiveness of these improvements. We will continue to establish a seamless disaster response system to minimize inconvenience for residents during snowfall.”

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