The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday that 31 water meter freezing incidents were reported overnight as a severe cold wave swept through the capital.
According to the city government, all 31 water meter bursts occurred in Seoul between 5 p.m. Sunday and 5 a.m. Monday. No additional damage, including cold-related illnesses or frozen water pipes, has been reported so far.
Seoul has activated an emergency response system to cope with the cold snap. The city is operating a comprehensive cold wave support center with 277 personnel across 87 teams and 85 patrol officers.
Overnight, welfare activities were conducted for 9,440 vulnerable citizens, including 95 homeless people on the streets, 9,276 seniors living alone, and 69 residents of single-room occupancy housing. The city provided meals to homeless individuals and checked on the well-being of elderly people living alone. It also offered facilities such as cold wave shelters and emergency evacuation centers, while inspecting the operation of warming centers at community service centers, welfare centers, and senior centers open during nighttime hours.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the nationwide low temperature Monday ranged from minus 15 to minus 3 degrees Celsius. This is similar to or slightly lower than Sunday's low of minus 15 to minus 4 degrees Celsius, and colder than the seasonal average of minus 10.8 to 0.7 degrees Celsius.
