All 45 disaster-prone sites inspected; eight new snow-removal stations planned at Sindang Elementary School, Baekbeom Plaza and other locations
Road heating cables installed at five sites in Dasan-dong and Jangchung-dong, with three more in Hoehyeon-dong to follow by month's end
Seoul's Jung-gu is taking preemptive steps to prepare for heavy snowfall and road icing this winter.
The district has completed advance inspections of all 45 disaster-prone sites and is expanding snow-removal infrastructure — including road heating cables and snow-removal stations — to keep residents safe through the cold months.
Jung-gu recently finished inspecting all 45 designated disaster-prone sites, confirming no safety issues at eight ice-prone sections and 37 snow-removal-vulnerable sections. The district plans to install new snow-removal stations at eight locations, including Sindang Elementary School and Baekbeom Plaza, to strengthen its winter response capacity.
The district is also expanding road heating cables on steep slopes and ice-prone streets. Jung-gu recently completed installation of 375 meters of cable at five sites in Dasan-dong and Jangchung-dong, and plans to add 450 meters at three sites in Hoehyeon-dong by the end of this month. This year's total installation covers eight sites spanning 825 meters, with a combined budget of 882 million won ($657,000) — 450 million won in city funds and 432 million won in national funds.
Road heating cables are electrical heating elements buried beneath the road surface that melt snow and ice to prevent freezing. Steep back-alley roads are particularly hazardous in winter, as even light snowfall can cause vehicles to skid and pedestrians to fall.
Two of the newly cabled sites in Dasan-dong cover the steep uphill stretch of Dasanseonggoakgil near Dasan Fortress Wall Library. The three Jangchung-dong sites are narrow, sharply inclined back-alley roads in a densely packed residential neighborhood of houses and low-rise apartment buildings — areas that have long posed challenges for winter snow removal.
Jung-gu selects installation sites by weighing topographical conditions and resident complaints, and has consistently expanded its heating cable network each year through Seoul Metropolitan Government budget allocations.
By the end of this month, the district will install additional cables at three sites near the Hoehyeon-dong Community Service Center, Ilsin Church and a local day-care center. The 432 million won in national funding for that section is tied to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Hoehyeon-dong New Village project, which aims to improve living conditions in aging low-rise residential areas while also upgrading pedestrian safety infrastructure for winter.
Jung-gu plans to expand the program further next year. The district has applied for grant review to install cables at 11 additional sites covering a total of 1.33 kilometers, and intends to continue improving ice-prone sections as funding is secured.
"Prevention before the snow falls matters more than responding after the fact," Jung-gu District Mayor Kim Gil-sung said. "Even a small patch of ice on a steep residential alley can cause a serious accident, so we will keep building out safety infrastructure to ensure residents can move around with confidence all winter long."
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