Arctic cold wave wreaks nationwide havoc

Social Affairs

Published: 21 Dec. 2023, 18:43 Updated: 21 Dec. 2023, 21:01

Arctic cold wave wreaks nationwide havoc

Students play in a snowy field at Halla Elementary School in Nohyeon-dong, Jeju, on Thursday. Flights at Jeju International Airport were delayed and canceled as the area saw heavy snow and wind shear the same day. [YONHAP]

Vehicles collided, ships and planes were grounded, and water gauges froze and burst as heavy snowfall and subzero temperatures struck Korea on Thursday.

The country experienced the season's chilliest day as an arctic cold wave swept the peninsula.

Commuters scramble as arctic cold strikes Korean Peninsula

In South Chungcheong, a bus driver in his 50s died after freight trucks and buses collided in a nine-car pileup on the Seohaean Expressway in Dangjin at around 3:20 a.m. on Thursday. Ten others sustained severe injuries.

Police suspect the collisions occurred after a cargo truck skidded on road ice. A heavy snow warning was issued for the area on Wednesday.

The west coast of South Chungcheong is expected to see five to 15 centimeters (two to six inches) of snow on Friday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Parts of the region may see more than 20 centimeters of snow throughout the day.

Around noon on the same day, 19 people were injured after a bus and a snowplow collided in Seocheon County, South Chungcheong.

A day earlier, a one-ton truck driver died in a 10-car pileup on the Honam Expressway in Jeongeup, North Jeolla. The accident is also suspected to have been caused by icy roads.

As the severe cold continued, the government and local authorities took measures to prepare citizens for the extreme weather.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, helps a senior citizen wear a scarf at her home in Jungnang District, eastern Seoul, on Thursday. Yoon visited the woman to encourage her and provide winter supplies amid freezing temperatures this week. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the home of a woman in her 80s who lived alone in Jungnang District, eastern Seoul, on Thursday morning, checking whether measures to protect people vulnerable to the cold are in place. Yoon had earlier ordered the government “to support the livelihoods of those vulnerable to the cold season.”

Expressing concern over the health of older people who rely on the country's basic pension and care services, he promised that the government would support her and offered winter necessities, including heating mats and blankets.

In Seoul, people struggled to battle the cold weather as they experienced unprecedented winter weather on Thursday morning.

Stairs in Huam-dong in Yongsan District, central Seoul, were covered in snow at 7:32 a.m. Thursday. [OH SAM-GWON]

A 57-year-old resident living on the steep hills of Huam-dong, Yongsan District, central Seoul, struggled from the moment she left her home in the morning.

“I sprayed calcium chloride last night, but the roads are still slippery,” she told the JoongAng Ilbo, adding that she'd be in big trouble if she slipped.

She had to slowly step down some 50 steps one by one as she left her home at around 7:30 a.m., holding on to the handrails with her two hands.

According to the KMA, the mercury in Seoul plunged to almost minus 15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) at 7 a.m. on Thursday, marking the capital's lowest temperature of the season.

The wind chill dropped as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius. Midday highs hovered around minus seven degrees Celsius.

Police officers on Thursday help push a vehicle skidding on the road in Nohyeong-dong, Jeju. [NEWS1]

The extreme cold snap on Thursday felt even worse for a 32-year-old Vietnamese interpreter working in Korea.

“I have lived in Korea for more than four years, and it is the first time for me to experience such a cold day,” she said as she got off an intercity bus at Gangnam Station in southern Seoul at around 7:40 a.m.

Outdoor laborers fought hard against the cold.

A worker at a construction site in Eungpyeong District, northern Seoul, bundled himself with layers of clothes and mittens, but he could barely speak due to the freezing weather.

Homeless people have also suffered from the extreme cold. In front of a department store near Yeongdeungpo Station in western Seoul stood three tents where the homeless slept overnight.

“I fell asleep here at around 10 p.m. last night but was told to move to another place by an employee at the department store early morning,” 63-year-old Lee Hyeong-nam said. “I need to move somewhere else in the back alley where people can’t see me.”

According to a support center for the homeless in Yeondeungpo District, around 190 homeless people visited the center to warm themselves up overnight.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, five patients suffering from cold-induced ailments were reported on Thursday. A total of 81 people have suffered from cold-induced ailments this month.

Eighty-seven water gauges froze and burst across the country, including in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Gangwon as of 11 a.m. Thursday.

Electronic display boards at Jeju International Airport show flights have been canceled and delayed on Thursday. Planes were grounded as the area experienced harsh weather conditions like heavy snow and wind shears. [NEWS1]

A total of 181 flights departing and arriving at Jeju International Airport were canceled or delayed due to strong winds and wind shear as of 5 p.m. Thursday. Jeju had been issued wind and snow advisories since Wednesday morning. Mountainous regions of Jeju are expected to see more than 60 centimeters of snow through Friday.

More than 60 ships traveling between ports in regions like Incheon and Jeju were grounded as of 4 p.m. on Thursday.

The KMA forecasts the arctic cold wave will continue through Friday. Morning lows in Seoul will reach as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius, and the wind chill at minus 21 degrees Celsius. Temperatures may further dip to as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius in Paju, Gyeonggi, and Cheorwon, Gangwon.

The cold spell is likely to fade from Saturday afternoon.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO, KIM MIN-JOONG [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]