Subway Delays and Slippery Road Accidents... Seoul's 'Snow Bomb' Makes Commute Difficult

As heavy snow fell across Seoul, numerous subway operations were delayed, and traffic accidents on snowy roads caused inconvenience for commuters.

On the 22nd, when a heavy snow warning was issued across Seoul, a citizen heading to work at Gwanghwamun Intersection captured the snow-covered urban scenery on their mobile phone.
[Photo by Jo Yongjun]

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According to Seoul Metro on the 22nd, train operations on subway lines 2, 5, and 7 were delayed that morning. At around 7:08 a.m., Seoul Metro announced on its website, "Train operations on the entire Line 5 are delayed due to dispatch issues caused by heavy snowfall." Line 5 trains were delayed by about 25 minutes compared to usual and are currently being restored.

On Line 2, signal malfunctions on some aboveground sections caused delays of 20 to 25 minutes, while on Line 7, the up and down lines were delayed by approximately 10 and 25 minutes respectively. It was identified that snow accumulation on the overhead power lines caused power supply issues, and restoration work is underway. At Doknipmun Station on Line 3, a door malfunction occurred around 8:40 a.m.

Traffic accidents also occurred on the roads. At around 1:20 a.m., an SUV skidded on a snowy road at the entrance of Bukak Tunnel in Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, and collided with a taxi. The taxi driver and one passenger were injured and transported to the hospital. At around 4:30 a.m. in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, a tree fell due to heavy snow and strong winds, and safety measures have now been completed. Due to the overnight heavy snowfall, some sections of Inwangsan-gil, Bukaksan-gil, Waryong Park-gil, and Gaewoonsan-gil were temporarily closed but have since been reopened.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, as of 8 a.m., 13.8 cm of snow had fallen in Seoul. The newly fallen snow since midnight (daily maximum snow depth) reached 8.6 cm, marking the third highest snowfall in February since 2000.

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