Record snow blankets east coast region

By Park Si-soo

Nearly 50-centimeters of snowfall hit eastern Gangwon Province, Monday, adding woes to public workers and troops who were already grappling to remove record-high snow that fell in the region over the weekend.

The region was blanketed by one meter of snow between Friday and Saturday, the heaviest single day’s snowfall since 1911.

The weather front stretched out to the southeastern part of the country, dropping more than 15 centimeters of snow in the region.

More than 30 flights from Busan’s Gimhae International Airport were grounded or had their departures postponed; while many greenhouses and farming facilities collapsed under the weight of the snow, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

Ulsan, a southeastern port city, had 14.7 centimeters of snow as of 5 p.m., marking the heaviest one-day snowfall in the city since 1931, the KMA said. Ulsan education office closed 412 kindergartens, and primary and secondary schools there.

Jeju Island also had more than 13 centimeters of snow, making mountainous roads and climbing routes off-limits to all vehicles and people.

Kim Seung-bae, a KMA spokesman, said weather conditions over the affected areas were ideal for heavy snow, forecasting more on Thursday.

“Snowfall on the Korean Peninsula is a constant possibility until March. At present, cold air from Russia and moist air from Japan are colliding over the eastern part of the country, leading to heavy snow in these areas,” Kim said. “With the conditions lasting for days to come, the next snow is forecast to fall on Thursday.”

The heavy snow in Gangwon was an “unexpected boon” to those making last-minute efforts to host the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyongChang, a resort town in the province _ the 11-member IOC inspection team will inspect Olympic-related facilities there until Friday.

However, it added frustration to civilians and public personnel mobilized for snow-removing operations. Major roads in Gangwon became so icy that many of them have been placed off-limits to all vehicles.

Seoul City has sent 12 snowplows, 120 tons of de-icing salts and 26 workers to Gangwon to help bring its traffic system back to normal as early as possible. Many other self-governing cities added their help.

President Lee Myung-bak urged his senior secretaries to come up with measures to support affected areas.

“The government should thoroughly prepare for any troubling weather conditions,” Lee said.

Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik ordered officials to be quick to examine damage from the snowfall and help with recovery efforts by the residents of snowbound areas.