After seven months of record-breaking warmth, winter struck the Korean Peninsula abruptly. The South Korean capital, Seoul, experienced its heaviest November snowfall in a century. The snow began on Wednesday, and by Thursday morning, more than 40cm of snow had accumulated in parts of the city, disrupting traffic and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Seoul’s main airport, Incheon, was the worst affected, with passengers facing average delays of two hours. On Thursday, 14% of flights were delayed, and 15% were canceled. Emergency teams were deployed to clear fallen trees and snow drifts. Although weather officials later lifted heavy snow warnings in the metropolitan area, the impact remained severe.
At least five snow-related deaths have been reported in Gyeonggi Province, which borders Seoul, since Wednesday. Four people lost their lives when structures collapsed under the weight of the snow, while one person died in a traffic accident after a bus skidded on an icy road. On Wednesday evening, a 53-vehicle pile-up on a highway in Wonju, located in Gangwon Province, injured at least 11 people.
In neighboring North Korea, some areas received more than 10cm of snow between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the state broadcaster Korean Central Television.
The unusually heavy November snowfall has been attributed to the warmer-than-usual temperatures of sea waters west of the Korean Peninsula, which interacted with cold air currents to produce the intense weather.