Severe Cold Wave Hits Nationwide... Continuous Damage from the Cold Snap

Deaths and Cold-Related Illnesses Occur... Frozen Pipes and Road Closures
Jeju Air Routes Resume

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] As the nation froze under the severe cold wave with temperatures plunging below minus 20 degrees Celsius, cold-related damages occurred in various places on the 25th.

At around 8 a.m. the previous day, an elderly man in his 80s was found collapsed in an above-ground parking lot of an apartment complex in Jincheon-gun, Chungbuk. An apartment management office employee reported the incident, and the man was transported to a hospital but ultimately passed away. At that time, the temperature in Jincheon-gun was minus 14.9 degrees Celsius.

At 9:05 a.m. on the same day, a woman in her 90s was transported to a hospital due to hypothermia in Geumnam-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongnam. In the Gwanggyosan hiking trail in Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, an elderly man in his 80s with dementia was found suffering from severe frostbite.

On the 25th, when a cold wave advisory was issued nationwide with the morning low temperature in Seoul dropping to minus 18 degrees Celsius, the Han River near Yeouido, Seoul, was frozen. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The biting cold also caused damage to water meters and water pipes in various locations.

That morning, in Geumjeong-gu and Saha-gu, Busan, water pipes and sprinklers froze and burst, causing water to flow out and freeze roads and parking lots. In Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, water pipes buried near an apartment complex burst, turning the surrounding roads into icy paths. In a duck farm in Uiryeong-gun, Gyeongnam, a water pipe ruptured, prompting firefighters to provide emergency water supply support.

In Jeonbuk, numerous cases of vehicle batteries dying due to the cold during rush hour caused delays in on-site repair services.

With the severe cold wave combined with heavy snowfall, access to national park trails and mountain roads was restricted.

Seoraksan National Park has been restricting access to five sections since the 20th: Biseondae to Oseam, Madeungnyeong to Muneomigogae, Oseam to Bongjeongam, Daeseungryeong to Hangyeryeong Samgeori, and the upper part of Gwongeumseong. In Jeju, all seven hiking trails on Hallasan Mountain were closed to entry. Five mountain roads in Jindo, Hampyeong, Gurye, and Hwasun in Jeonnam remain closed.

The air routes to Jeju, which had been halted due to a strong snowstorm the previous day, are gradually resuming. On the previous day, all 466 domestic flights (233 departures and 233 arrivals) and 10 international flights (5 departures and 5 arrivals) at Jeju Airport were canceled. Due to consecutive cancellations, 35,000 to 40,000 passengers were stranded in Jeju.

On this day, Jeju Air flight 7C881 from Cheongju arrived in Jeju at 7 a.m., marking the resumption of flights. A total of 514 flights (256 departures and 258 arrivals), including temporary flights, were scheduled to operate on this day.