Yeongjong District Mayor Son Hwa-jeong (center) patrols the scene of the power outage that struck Yeongjong Haneul City on Monday. [Yeongjong District Office]
Yeongjong District Mayor Son Hwa-jeong (center) patrols the scene of the power outage that struck Yeongjong Haneul City on Monday. [Yeongjong District Office]

A large-scale power outage in Incheon's Yeongjong Haneul City has left residents and business owners reeling, with calls growing for a thorough investigation into the cause and concrete measures to prevent a recurrence.

According to the Yeongjong District Office, a fault in a transmission line at the Jungsan substation cut power to approximately 25,000 households — including apartments, homes and commercial buildings — across the Yeongjong Haneul City area at around 5:16 p.m. Monday.

The outage knocked out traffic signals, snarling traffic at major intersections throughout the area. A number of residents were also trapped in elevators.

Businesses were forced to suspend operations as power went out, and the shutdown of air conditioning during a heat wave added to residents' discomfort.

In response, Yeongjong District Mayor Son Hwa-jeong called on Korea Electric Power Corporation to determine the exact cause of the outage and draw up fundamental measures to prevent a recurrence.

The district activated its disaster and safety operations center immediately after the outage and shifted to an emergency response footing.

Son and the disaster response headquarters convened two emergency meetings with the Ministry of Interior and Safety and relevant agencies to review the response, and conducted on-site inspections to assess any additional damage.

Temporary shelters were set up at the Yeongjong-dong and Yeongjong 1-dong administrative welfare centers. The district also coordinated with Incheon city, the fire department, police and other agencies to secure residents' safety and minimize further harm.

Fire crews responded to scenes where residents were trapped in elevators, while police deployed personnel to major intersections to manage traffic disruptions caused by non-functioning signals.

Even after emergency repairs are completed, the district plans to continue monitoring the power supply situation in anticipation of further outages driven by rising summer electricity demand, and will work with Korea Electric Power Corporation on full restoration and follow-up measures.

"Stable power supply is directly tied to residents' safety, so Korea Electric Power Corporation must clearly identify the cause of this incident and put in place effective measures to prevent a recurrence," Son said. "Yeongjong District will actively cooperate and spare no effort in providing the necessary support until full restoration is achieved."


gilbert@heraldcorp.com