The photo is not related to the article. (Yonhap)
The photo is not related to the article. (Yonhap)

Power outages in the Seoul metropolitan area left hundreds of households without heating, exposing residents to freezing temperatures as a severe cold wave tightened its grip on the Korean Peninsula.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Sunday temperatures were colder than the previous day, with morning lows hovering around minus 10 degrees Celsius nationwide, and strong winds further lowering wind chill values. In Seoul, the morning low was expected to fall to minus 11 degrees.

The cold spell is forecast to persist through the middle of the week, with morning temperatures in many parts of the country remaining near minus 10 degrees.

The weather agency urged extra caution, advising older adults, young children and those with weakened immune systems to refrain from outdoor activities where possible and to take care of their health amid sharp temperature drops and prolonged cold conditions.

Amid the intense cold, a blackout affecting two apartment buildings in Guro-gu, western Seoul, was restored after about 19 hours, local media reported Sunday. The outage began around 9:30 p.m. Friday at apartment complexes housing 939 households after water leaked into an electrical room on the second basement level of one building.

Residents endured freezing indoor temperatures overnight as heating systems were rendered unusable. Seoul recorded a low of minus 11 degrees Celsius on Friday. One resident told local media they barely slept, relying on hot packs under blankets to stay warm. Two people who became trapped in an elevator during the outage were rescued by fire authorities, according to reports.

Power was fully restored at around 4:54 p.m. Saturday, roughly 19 hours and 30 minutes after the blackout began, following equipment replacement and safety inspections conducted by authorities, including Korea Electric Power Corp. The Guro District Office said residents who had temporarily relocated to nearby community service centers and senior centers gradually returned home after electricity was restored.

In a separate incident, another apartment complex housing about 860 households in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, lost power at around 12:40 a.m. Saturday due to a transformer malfunction. Power was restored within two hours, but residents also faced difficulties as heating systems were unavailable during the cold snap.


shinjh@heraldcorp.com