Heavy snow, strong winds over weekend distrupt air, sea transportation nationwide

An aircraft lands on the runway at Jeju International Airport while snow falls on Jan. 11, as strong wind and wind shear alerts remain in effect. [YONHAP]

 
Heavy snow and strong winds over the weekend disrupted air and sea transportation nationwide, while one fatal accident occurred due to high winds.
 
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issued strong wind warnings at 9 a.m. on Sunday for parts of South Jeolla, such as Heuksando and Hongdo; Geomundo; Chodo; and the western, northern and eastern regions of Jeju Island. 
 

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Strong wind advisories took effect in Busan and across North and South Jeolla and North and South Gyeongsang. Six South Korean-controlled islands located near the southern coast of North Hwanghae Province in North Korea were affected, including Baengnyeong Island, Daecheong Island, Socheong Island, Yeonpyeong Island and Udo.
 
Strong wind advisories also covered parts of South Chungcheong, such as Taean, Dangjin, Seosan, Boryeong, Seocheon and Hongseong, and areas of South Jeolla, such as Goheung, Boseong, Yeosu, Gwangyang, Suncheon, Jangheung, Gangjin, Haenam, Wando, Yeongam, Muan, Hampyeong, Yeonggwang, Mokpo, Sinan and Jindo.
 
Additional advisory areas included Gochang, Buan, Gunsan and Gimje in North Jeolla; parts of North Gyeongsang, such as Yeongdeok, Uljin’s lowland areas, Pohang, Gyeongju and northeastern mountainous regions; Changwon, Tongyeong, Sacheon, Geoje, Goseong and Namhae in South Gyeongsang; Jeju’s mountainous areas, southern regions and southern midmountain areas; Ongjin County in Incheon; Ulsan; Ulleungdo; and Dokdo.
 

Strong winds tear the roof off a restaurant along a road in Jeju on Jan. 11 as strong wind alerts remain in effect across Jeju Island. [NEWS1]

 
At the same time, heavy snow warnings took effect in Muan and Mokpo in South Jeolla. Heavy snow advisories covered other parts of South Jeolla, including Naju, Boseong, Jangheung, Gangjin, Haenam, Wando, Yeongam, Hampyeong, Yeonggwang, Sinan (except for Heuksan-myeon), Jindo, Heuksando and Hongdo; Jeju’s mountainous eastern and southern regions and northern and southern midmountain areas; Ulleungdo; and Dokdo.
 
Snowfall of one to three centimeters (0.4 to 1.2 inches) fell mainly in the Jeolla region as of Sunday morning. Most areas nationwide will see snow stop by late afternoon, according to a heavy snow response report released by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
 
On Jeju, snowfall and strong winds since early morning led authorities to close major mountain roads, including Road 1100, Road 516 and Bijarim Road. Authorities also fully suspended the popular “Hallasan Snow Flower Bus” service, which provides access to Mount Halla's snowy 1100 High Pass and Yeongsil area. 
 
As of 9 a.m. on Sunday, 10 flights faced delays in Jeju. On Saturday, Asiana Airlines flight OZ8196, scheduled to depart for Yeosu at around 10:30 a.m., diverted to Daegu due to severe weather at Yeosu Airport and arrived at Daegu International Airport at around 12:30 p.m. Passengers later traveled to Yeosu by chartered buses.
 
Jeju will likely face further flight disruptions as it faces winds of up to 20 meters per second (44.7 miles per hour) and up to 25 meters per second in mountainous areas through early Monday. 
 
At sea, authorities suspended 59 passenger vessels on 49 routes, such as Incheon to Baengnyeong, Goheung to Jeju and Pohang to Ulleungdo, as well as 14 road sections nationwide and restricted access to 285 hiking trails across 14 national parks, including Jirisan, Seoraksan and Songnisan.
 
Cold wave alerts also remained in effect.
 
Cold wave warnings covered Taebaek, Cheorwon, Hwacheon and mountainous regions of Gangwon; the lowland areas of Bonghwa; and northeastern mountainous regions of North Gyeongsang.
 

Residents in Goyang, Gyeonggi, walk a dog and react to strong winds on Jan. 10. [YONHAP]

 
Cold wave advisories applied to Seoul; most of Gyeonggi (except for Ansan), such as Osan, Pyeongtaek and Hwaseong; parts of Gangwon, including Gangneung, Donghae, Samcheok, Sokcho, Goseong, Yangyang and Chuncheon; all of North and South Chungcheong; much of South and North Jeolla; parts of North and South Gyeongsang; Incheon (except for Ongjin County); Daejeon; Busan; western Ulsan; and Sejong.
 
The strong winds also caused a fatal accident in Gyeonggi at around 2:21 p.m. on Saturday. A sign measuring approximately 15 meters (49 feet) wide and two meters tall fell onto a pedestrian outside a barbershop in Uijeongbu, killing him.
 

A fallen sign lies on a street in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, on Jan. 10, following strong winds. [NEWS1]

 
Hwaseong recorded the highest wind speed in Gyeonggi at 31.8 meters per second, followed by Ansan at 31.1 meters per second, Gwangmyeong at 25.1 meters per second and Pyeongtaek at 23.8 meters per second.
 
The KMA urged the public to remain cautious of structural damage from heavy snow and accidents on icy roads.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]