Seoul commute snarled as first snowfall leaves roads icy

A vehicle comes to a stop on an icy overpass near Dongho Bridge in Apgujeong, southern Seoul, on Thursday. (Yonhap)

Seoul commuters confronted treacherous black-ice conditions on Friday morning after the capital saw its first snowfall of the season the previous evening, with accumulations topping 6 centimeters in some areas and causing widespread traffic disruptions across the metropolitan region.

City authorities lifted all traffic controls on 37 major road sections, including the Inner Ring Road, Gangbyeonbuk-ro and Dongbu Expressway, by 5 a.m., after two hours of heavy snow late Thursday crippled vehicle flow and left parts of the capital gridlocked.

Overnight subzero temperatures froze slush into thin sheets of ice, prompting warnings for reduced speeds and greater braking distances during the morning commute.

To ease congestion, Seoul boosted subway operations by 20 additional train trips during peak hours and extended morning bus-frequency intervals by 30 minutes. The city government also deployed de-icing chemicals on arterial and express routes, while stepping up snow removal on sidewalks and smaller neighborhood roads.

“The likelihood of black ice remains high,” the city said in a statement, urging both drivers and pedestrians to brace for slippery surfaces.

Traffic slows on an icy roadway near Gyeongbokgung Station in Seoul’s Jongno -gu district on Thursday, after the season’s first snowfall. (Yonhap)

In Gyeonggi Province, which bore the brunt of Thursday's snowfall, police received more than 1,900 weather-related emergency reports between 5 p.m. Thursday and 5 a.m. Friday, including over 1,000 traffic-disruption calls and 732 snow-removal requests.

Eighty-three traffic accidents were logged, though no major casualties were reported.

Several collisions were tied to icy road conditions. A multi-vehicle pileup involving six cars occurred late Wednesday on a downhill section near the Gwacheon Tunnel on the Bongdam–Gwacheon Expressway, while a separate truck accident temporarily blocked lanes near the Pangyo Junction on the Gyeongbu Expressway.

Evening commuters crowd snow-covered streets near Yanghwa-ro in western Seoul on Thursday, as heavy-snow advisories for Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi and Gangwon caused severe rush-hour gridlock. (Yonhap)