177 snowplows and 4,000 tons of de-icing agent secured; mobile brine sprayers doubled to 20 units
17 cold-weather shelters to open at senior centers; welfare checks planned for elderly and disabled residents living alone
Seoul's Dongdaemun-gu will roll out its 2026 winter comprehensive plan from Sunday through March 15 next year, covering a four-month period.
The plan spans four areas — cold-wave response, snow removal, safety inspections and daily life — and includes expanded equipment and supplies, welfare checks on cold-vulnerable residents, safety inspections at construction sites and traditional markets, and winter infectious disease prevention.
The district's disaster safety headquarters will operate tiered emergency duty shifts based on forecast snowfall. Snow-removal personnel have been increased from 1,785 last year to 1,812, and the fleet of snowplows has grown from 146 to 177 vehicles. The district has also secured 4,000 tons of de-icing agent, 800 tons more than last year.
Mobile brine sprayers — deployed on shaded or frequently icy roads — will be doubled from 10 units last year to 20 this year. Road heating cables are planned for 13 stretches near schools and other areas difficult to clear manually, and a brine sprayer will be installed on the steep Chwalyeongsogogae slope along Dapsimni-ro.
Snow-clearing support will be provided at 23 sloped sections near child protection zones, senior welfare facilities and older apartment access roads. De-icing supply boxes containing pre-packaged de-icing agent will be placed at 596 locations including hilltop roads and back alleys. The number of village buses and taxis subject to pre-season safety inspections will also rise from 347 last year to 453.
The cold-wave integrated support operations center will bring together five task forces and 15 dong community centers. Staff will conduct welfare checks on elderly residents living alone, people with disabilities and other cold-vulnerable residents, and provide necessary supplies. Fifteen district-run senior centers and two senior welfare centers will operate as cold-weather shelters for older residents. Intensive patrols twice daily will be conducted through late January next year to protect homeless people on the streets.
The district will also guide residents on applying for energy vouchers to ease heating costs. Households receiving basic livelihood benefits may qualify under the multiple-children criterion even if a parent is not the head of household, provided that a parent and at least two children under 19 are registered together on the same household certificate. A newly introduced "briquette-conversion energy voucher" will provide heating subsidies to eligible households that replaced a briquette boiler with a non-briquette system after January. Applications for both vouchers are open through Dec. 31 at local dong community centers or through the Bokjiro website.
Working with outside experts, the district will inspect 21 sites including redevelopment construction sites and aging buildings, as well as private construction sites, nine traditional markets, one large retail outlet and gas facilities. Private construction sites will receive informational materials on cold-weather safety rules and prevention of cold-related illness among workers.
On the daily-life front, the district will monitor outbreaks of winter infectious diseases such as influenza and norovirus, and deploy smart quarantine response teams to eliminate mosquito larvae in septic tanks. Ahead of kimchi-making season and the Lunar New Year holiday, origin labeling of agricultural and marine products at traditional markets and mid- to large-sized hypermarkets will be checked. Price-display compliance will be verified through unannounced on-site visits by price inspectors to randomly selected stores.
Dongdaemun-gu District Mayor Choi Dong-min said the district would "prepare the necessary equipment in advance against sudden cold snaps and heavy snowfall, and carefully check on residents who are vulnerable to the cold." Choi added that the district would "respond swiftly on the ground when heavy snow falls or temperatures drop sharply, so that residents can spend the winter safely and warmly."
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