Hundreds Trapped in Subway Amid Snow Chaos

Heavy snow and icy weather caused a chaos for commuters in Seoul on Thursday, trapping some 500 subway passengers for almost two hours during evening rush hour. 

A Subway Line 1 train stopped on the Han River Railway Bridge heading for Noryangjin at around 8:00 p.m, halting other trains along the way. KORAIL only managed to haul the stalled cars off the bridge around 10 p.m. 

The Seoul metropolitan area, Gangwon and Chuncheong provinces saw heavy snow on Thursday. Some 4.7 cm of snow had fallen as of 6 p.m. in Seoul, 8.3 cm in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province and 7.3 cm in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.

Snow plows were mobilized right away, but heavy snowfall over a short period caused traffic to grind to a halt on major roads. The Seoul city government mobilized 8,484 workers and 1,123 vehicles to clean up.  

Some schools ended classes early in anticipation of heavy rush-hour traffic, and businesses also let their workers head home early or work from home. 

Icy roads in the evening caused major headaches for commuters. Authorities warned about slippery road conditions on Friday as the mercury dipped even further.