Snowfall up to 8cm expected in Gyeonggi between 10 PM and early morning on the 21st
Kim Seong-jung, First Deputy Governor, urgently communicates requests to city and county officials
"Please do your best to ensure residents' safety through proactive evacuation control and thorough snow removal operations" urged
Among the 11 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province (Gapyeong, Suwon, Osan, Pyeongtaek, Yongin, Icheon, Anseong, Hwaseong, Yeoju, Gwangju, Yangpyeong), Gyeonggi Province will activate Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Emergency Level 1 starting from 10 PM.
The Korea Meteorological Administration is expected to issue a heavy snow warning between midnight and 6 AM on the 21st, forecasting up to 8 cm of snow in Gyeonggi Province. Accordingly, the province plans to respond to the heavy snow by activating Emergency Level 1 of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters from 10 PM on the 20th. The Emergency Level 1 system will be led by the head of the Natural Disaster Division of Gyeonggi Province, with a total of 17 personnel working across road, transportation, and agriculture sectors.
As heavy snow is expected to begin in the early morning hours, the province will proactively monitor road snow accumulation, deploy snow removal equipment in advance, and pre-apply de-icing agents to prepare for weekend traffic congestion and enhance pedestrian safety.
On the same day, Gyeonggi Province held an emergency countermeasure meeting between the province and cities/counties chaired by Kim Seong-jung, the First Deputy Governor for Administration. The meeting emphasized ▲ surveillance and inspection of facilities at risk of collapse such as traditional market arcades, rain shelters, residential vinyl greenhouses, and aging structures, followed by preemptive evacuation and control ▲ pre-application and reapplication of de-icing agents considering road conditions vulnerable to freezing ▲ thorough follow-up snow removal on side streets frequently used by residents such as alleys and bus stops before snow compaction occurs, urging full attention to residents’ safety.
Additionally, the meeting highlighted the fatal accident caused by safety incidents during snow removal operations in the heavy snow last November, urging active promotion of the revised national action guidelines, including ensuring safety by working in teams of two or more.
Lee Jong-don, Director of the Safety Management Office, stated, “During the last heavy snow, the rapid preemptive evacuation at the Anyang Agricultural and Marine Products Wholesale Market prevented a major casualty accident,” adding, “In case of additional heavy snowfall and risk of collapse, we will prevent casualties through swift preemptive evacuation and control of dangerous areas, strengthen snow removal at road ramps and IC boundary sections, and conduct follow-up snow removal on side roads, dedicating all efforts to ensuring residents’ safety.”
Gyeonggi Province advised that, as icy roads are expected due to heavy snow, pedestrians should be cautious of slipping accidents on snowy paths, and drivers should reduce speed and maintain sufficient safety distance to prevent accidents.
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