[Report] "Slippery, so tiptoeing"... Unseasonal March Snowstorm Causes Commute Chaos

March Mid-Month Snowstorm: Scenes from the Morning Commute
Seoul Issues Its Latest Ever Heavy Snow Warning

"Because of the snowy roads, I couldn't catch a taxi and ended up returning my train ticket twice."

On the morning of the 18th around 8 a.m., Mr. Jo (39), whom we met near Solsaem Station in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, was pacing anxiously. The roads were icy due to the snow that fell overnight, and with the snow starting to fall again during rush hour, he couldn't get a taxi. Mr. Jo, who had a business trip to the provinces that day and needed to get to Seoul Station, returned his previously booked tickets twice before finally managing to catch a taxi after 40 minutes.

At 7:30 a.m. on the 18th, citizens are waiting for a bus at a bus stop near Gangnam Station in Seoul, where snow is falling. Photo by Byeon Seon-jin

The unexpected heavy snowfall in mid-March caused inconvenience to citizens across the city. Due to the heavy snow, the Uijeongbu Light Rail Transit service was temporarily suspended, causing particular difficulties for residents in northern Seoul during their morning commute.

At around 7:45 a.m. near Exit 5 of Gangnam Station in Seoul, 9 to 10 citizens were lingering on the sidewalk, unable to step out. Although a lot of snow had fallen overnight, the snow had briefly stopped, so they had not brought umbrellas from home. Mr. Kim Sangheon (29), an office worker commuting from Dobong to Gangnam, said, "When I left home at 6 a.m., it wasn't snowing, so I didn't bring an umbrella, but when I arrived at Gangnam Station, it was snowing heavily and my clothes got soaked."

Most citizens were seen wearing winter coats, masks, or wrapping scarves tightly around their necks. Some were walking cautiously on slippery sidewalks or avoiding puddles. Mr. Jang (29), an office worker commuting from Suwon, Gyeonggi Province to Gangnam, said, "My socks got completely wet on the way here. I think I need to stop by a convenience store to buy new socks."

On the 18th, when the latest heavy snow warning in Seoul's history was issued, citizens hurried to work while being covered in snow at Gwanghwamun Square, Jongno, Seoul. 2025.3.18 Photo by Jo Yongjun

Public transportation was more crowded than usual. Ms. Kang Sohyun (37), who commutes by bus from Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, said, "Last week, I was able to sit all the way to Gangnam, but today, probably because many people were using public transport due to the snowstorm, I had to stand in a cramped space." Mr. Sung (in his 30s), whom we met at a parking lot near Gangnam Station, said, "I commute from the northern part of Seoul, and cars were all slowing down on the snowy roads to avoid accidents. I was almost late because I was about 20 minutes behind schedule."

Near Gwanghwamun Station at the Sejong-daero intersection, some office workers slipped on snow piled on the sidewalks and fell on their buttocks. The black, slushy snow from the road splashed onto the sidewalks, causing some citizens to ruin their clothes. Mr. Lee (in his 60s) said, "The roads are so slippery that I'm afraid of getting hurt." Mr. Yoon (in his 50s) said, "I usually commute by car, but today I took the subway because I was scared of black ice." Ms. Kim Sohyun (35), who commutes from Suyu-dong to Samseong Station, said, "There were more people than usual, so I had to let two trains pass at Suyu Station before boarding."

On the 18th, when the latest heavy snow warning in Seoul's history was issued, citizens hurried to work while being hit by snow at Gwanghwamun Intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2025.3.18 Photo by Jo Yongjun

The heavy snowfall caused a series of traffic accidents and some roads were closed. At around 5:15 a.m., train operations on the entire Uijeongbu Light Rail Transit line were suspended, causing about two hours of inconvenience for commuters. According to the Seoul Traffic Information Center, as of 9 a.m., the average traffic speed across Seoul was 17.7 km/h. Two flights from Gimpo and Jeju were canceled, and 66 passenger ships on 53 routes including Mokpo-Hongdo and Baengnyeong-Incheon also suspended operations. Seven road sections in Jeonbuk, Gangwon, and Jeonnam provinces and 369 sections in 15 national parks were closed.

The 'Heavy Snow Warning in mid-to-late March' is the first in seven years since 2018. In particular, Seoul recorded the latest heavy snow warning since observations began properly in 1999. The cause of this March snowstorm was the rapid inland push of Arctic cold air reaching as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius. The influx of cold Arctic air made the atmosphere very unstable.