Seoul commuters face difficulties due to snow

People wait in line at a bus stop at Gangnam Station in southern Seoul on Wednesday morning as heavy snow advisories were issued for the capital area. [NEWS1]

Seoulites taking public transportation struggled to get to work amid heavy snow advisories issued for the capital area Wednesday morning.

Big crowds formed in subway stations along the Gimpo Goldline, a railway that connects the city of Gimpo with the Gimpo International Airport located in Gangseo District, western Seoul.

“There were more people than usual at the station, and I had to wait for about 50 minutes to get on the train at 8:40 a.m.,” said Kim Won-hee, a resident of Gimpo, Gyeonggi, who usually takes the subway at Pungmu Station on the Gimpo Goldline around 7:50 a.m. every day.

“I was afraid that casualties like the Itaewon crush might happen on the way as the car was very crowded.”

The power system on the Gimpo Goldline was disrupted due to the heavy snow, according to the metro line and Gimpo City Government.

Five trains at Yangchon Station were unable to operate as usual at around 7 a.m., causing the usual 21 trains to be reduced to 16 and the interval between cars to increase from 3 minutes and 30 seconds to 4 minutes.

One passenger had to be sent to a hospital after becoming short of breath.

“I heard people shouting and looking very annoyed when I got on the train,” said Kang Min-kyeong, who boarded the train at Pungmu Station.

“I was running out of breath and started sweating as the place was overcrowded.”

Even people who left home earlier than usual experienced the commute chaos, though some opted for a different route.

“I left my house 15 minutes earlier than usual, but I barely made it to the office on time,” said a 29-year-old office worker who lives in Seongbuk District, central Seoul, and goes to Sangam-dong in western Seoul for work.

“There is a direct bus from home to my workplace, but I chose to take the subway instead and transfer twice to avoid traffic jams.”

People commuting with their own vehicles said they had to drive with extreme care in the morning.

“The alleyways did not have snow properly removed, which made me very nervous driving as the steering wheel kept spinning for a while,” said an office worker living in Dongjak District, southern Seoul.

Despite the heavy snow stopping in Seoul in the afternoon, the Seoul Metropolitan Government advised people to use public transportation when leaving work as roads may freeze due to temperatures falling in the afternoon.

Heavy snow advisories have been issued for the capital area, central inland regions, parts of Gyeongsang and Jeju Island as of Wednesday morning.

BY KIM NAM-YOUNG, SHIM SEOK-YONG, SON SUNG-BAE [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]