Kim In-sik, head of the Seoul Weather Station, stood on the Han River Bridge and looked down on the river for about two and a half hours since 5 a.m. He slapped his lap. At the dawn’s light, it was definitely ice on the shining surface of the river. After two nights amid severe cold weather, the day set a record for the earliest ice formation on the Han River since 1946. A five-day cold spell has led to ice formation on the Han River one month earlier than expected. The Korea Meteorological Administration said that the
earliest ice formation of this winter was observed at the Han River Bridge at the dawn of Friday. The ice was formed between second and fourth piers on the Noryangjin side. This has been the first ice formation on the Han River before December 15 in 71 years since December 12, 1946. Freezing of the Han River occurred 29 days earlier than the usual (January 13) and even 42 days earlier than last year (January 26). The biggest attributing factor is the unusual cold wave that hit the Korean Peninsula in the middle of December. READ MORE
