Seoul City Elevates to 'Snow Removal Level 2' from 6 PM ... Over 8,000 on Emergency Duty

Increased Public Transportation Services During Morning Commute on the 18th

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Due to the forecast of heavy snowfall of 3 to 10 cm in the Seoul metropolitan area from the night of the 17th to the 18th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it has issued a 'Level 2' emergency snow removal duty and will deploy over 8,000 personnel and more than 1,000 snow removal vehicles for snow clearing operations.

Earlier that day, in response to the snowfall forecast, the city had already issued a Level 1 snow removal alert starting from 12 PM and entered emergency duty. However, since heavy snow is expected in some areas from early morning on the 18th, with snowfall concentrated during the morning hours and the situation somewhat fluid, the city explained that it upgraded the emergency duty to Level 2 starting from 6 PM on the 17th as a preemptive measure.

Currently, there is no snow accumulation in the Seoul area, but snowflakes are falling in various places.

Additionally, to prepare for congestion during Monday morning's commute on the 18th, the city decided to extend the peak public transportation dispatch hours from the usual 7 AM to 9 AM until 9:30 AM. Subway operations will increase by 36 trips compared to normal, and city buses on all routes will extend the minimum dispatch interval operation by 30 minutes during the morning rush hour, increasing the number of trips per route.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government also stated that to prevent accidents such as malfunctions of outdoor-exposed facilities like electric trains due to overnight freezing, electric trains will be inspected indoors and kept inside, and inspections of trains and facilities before deployment will be strengthened.

Road closures and bus detours caused by heavy snowfall will be promptly announced through Variable Message Signs (VMS) on roads and Bus Information Terminals (BIT) at bus stops. Information can also be checked on the Seoul Transportation Information Center's TOPIS website and Twitter (@seoultopis).

Han Je-hyun, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Safety General Office, urged, "Since heavy snow is forecast from early Monday morning and traffic congestion is expected during the commute, please actively utilize telecommuting and use public transportation instead of private cars."