Outage leaves Yeoju without power for 1 1/2 hours

(123rf)

Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday was hit by a power outage that left a large part of the region without electricity for more than an hour, the state-owned utility said.

Korea Electric Power Corp. confirmed that the widespread blackout started at 10:26 a.m. and power was restored at 11:59 a.m. after damaged power equipment was replaced.

Around 52,800 households were estimated to have experienced about 1 1/2 hours without power, and nine out of the 12 districts in the city were affected.

Kepco said the power outage was the result of a breakdown in electric power facilities at a substation in Yeoju, but more analysis is needed to identify the exact cause.

The sudden blackout was an inconvenience for many residents. Yonhap News Agency reported some people were stuck in an elevator.

The power outage reportedly turned off traffic lights in Yeoju, leading to traffic congestion and collisions. The blackout also affected the operation of government offices and banks, causing interruptions to cellular service and slowing down internet connection.

By Ji Da-gyum(dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)