S.korea, Japan grapple with heavy snow chaos, delays
Thousands of people using train services in Kyoto and Shiga prefectures in Japan were forced to stay overnight in carriages or stations, while vehicles on major roads were let stranded and hundreds of flights cancelled
Thousands of travellers swarmed a small airport in South Korea’s Jeju island on Wednesday in a scramble to get on flights following delays by snowstorms as frigid winter weather gripped East Asia for the second straight day.
Officials at South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety didn’t immediately report any major damage or injuries from subzero temperatures and icy conditions that have affected most of the country since Tuesday.
But at least eight roads and 10 sea routes remained closed as of Wednesday aternoon.
About 140 homes in capital Seoul and nearby regions reported busted water pressure pumps or pipes as temperatures dipped to around minus 15 to minus 20 degrees Celsius across the mainland.
In Japan, heavy snow and record cold temperatures also brought widespread disruptions.
At least one person has died and two more deaths were being investigated in connection with the cold weather, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.
Thousands of people using train services in
Kyoto and Shiga prefectures in western Japan were forced to stay overnight in carriages or stations, while vehicles on major roads across the country were let stranded and hundreds of flights cancelled, Kyodo News reported.
Air traffic returned to normal ater hundreds of flights in and out of Jeju were grounded on Tuesday because of strong winds and snow, stranding an estimated 40,000 travellers who had visited the resort island for Lunar New Year holidays.
Around 540 flights, including nearly 70 that were temporarily added by transportation authorities in an emergency response, were scheduled in and out of Jeju on Wednesday alone, mostly to take passengers back to mainland cities.
The Korea Airports Corporation said the operating hours at Gimpo airport near Seoul was extended until 1 a.m. to accommodate the increased flights, which were expected to bring back 70% to 80% of the passengers who were stuck in Jeju.
The island saw more than 19 centimeters of snow since Tuesday morning, while southern mainland cities and towns such as Gwangju and Gangjin reported around 10 to 12 cm of snow.
More than 70 centimetres of snow fell on the small eastern island of Ulleung.
The winter storms appeared to be moving toward the greater Seoul area and nearby regions, where heavy snow was expected from late Wednesday to Thursday aternoon, according to the Safety Ministry, which warned about dangerous road conditions.
Officials in Gyeonggi province, which surrounds Seoul, said nearly 7,000 cold-weather shelters will be open across the region and that several thousand tonnes of snow-clearing chemicals would be used to improve the safety of roads that may turn icy.
Cold weather warnings were also issued in North Korea, where authorities reportedly called for “thorough measures” to prevent freezing temperatures from causing economic damage. Temperatures in capital Pyongyang was forecasted to dip to minus 19 C during Wednesday morning, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said, citing a North Korean state-run radio broadcast.
North Korean state media didn’t immediately report any major damage or injuries caused by the weather.
North Korea has ordered a five-day lockdown in the capital over “respiratory illness,” a report said on Wednesday, in what appears to be the first citywide restrictions since the country declared victory over Covid-19 in August 2022.
Residents of Pyongyang have been ordered to stay in their homes from Wednesday to Sunday and must submit to multiple temperature checks each day, Seoul-based specialist site NK News reported, citing a government notice.
The notice did not mention Covid but said that the illnesses currently spreading in the capital included the common cold, the report said.
The government order comes a day ater NK News, citing sources in Pyongyang, reported that people in the city appeared to be stocking up on goods in anticipation of a lockdown.
It is unclear if other areas have imposed similar lockdowns and state media has not announced any new measures.