Seoul Heavy Rain Temporarily Halts Subway Line 1 and Closes Flooded Roads

On the 11th, heavy rain poured in the Seoul area, causing subway services to be suspended and roads to be flooded.

On the 11th, heavy monsoon rain poured down, causing the water level of Jungnangcheon River to rise as seen from Ihwa Bridge in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

According to Korail, at around 3:56 PM that day, train operations in both directions between Yeongdeungpo Station and Geumcheon-gu Office Station on Line 1 were suspended due to the heavy rain, but services resumed around 4:12 PM. The suspension caused delays in train schedules, inconveniencing citizens for a while.

The heavy rain also caused flooding on various roads throughout Seoul. According to the Seoul Traffic Information Center and others, the entrance ramp from Nodeul-ro to the Hanam-bound side of Olympic Bridge was completely closed due to water accumulation.

Water also pooled temporarily on the section from Seongsu JC to Seongdong JC on the Dongbu Expressway heading toward Uijeongbu, and on the Hanam-bound side of Olympic-daero from Yeoui upstream to the southern end of Hangang Bridge.

According to the city’s Traffic Information Center, as of 9 PM, there are no roads closed due to weather issues.

At around 3:17 PM, Seoul City issued flood forecasts for 11 autonomous districts in the southeast area (Songpa, Gangnam, Seocho, Gangdong) and the southwest area (Gangseo, Gwanak, Yangcheon, Guro, Dongjak, Yeongdeungpo, Geumcheon). Additionally, 'Companion Partners' were dispatched to assist vulnerable households in evacuating.

As of 6 PM, access to 27 rivers was completely restricted. Twenty-eight rainwater pumping stations were in operation. In Dorimcheon, Guro-gu, a walking trail was submerged by rainwater. The city, district offices, and police dispatched personnel to flood-prone areas such as Gangnam Station, Daechi Station, and Isu Station, preparing to control the situation in case of emergencies.

At Punglim I-Won Apartment in Seongdong-gu, landscaping stones near the stone retaining wall within the complex were washed away, but there were no casualties.

At 2:20 PM that day, a heavy rain advisory was issued for the entire Seoul area. The southwest area (Gangseo, Gwanak, Yangcheon, Guro, Dongjak, Yeongdeungpo, Geumcheon) was upgraded to a heavy rain warning at 3 PM, and at 3:20 PM, a heavy rain warning was issued for all of Seoul.

Emergency extreme rain disaster text messages were first sent at 4 PM to some areas in Guro-gu, Dongjak-gu, and Yeongdeungpo-gu. As the rain gradually subsided, the heavy rain warning for all of Seoul was downgraded to a heavy rain advisory at 6 PM, and the advisory was lifted at 8 PM.