On the morning of the 8th, a power supply failure on parts of Seoul Subway Line No. 1 caused major disruptions to commuter-hour train service.
According to Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), at about 7:29 a.m. a power outage occurred on the southbound section from Chang-dong Station toward Sinimun Station. As a result, delays and irregular operations are continuing across the entire Line No. 1.
KORAIL has suspended southbound service between Dobongsan Station and Cheongnyangni Station while carrying out restoration work. However, even by around 9:30 a.m., roughly two hours after the outage, normal operations had not resumed.
As the disruption dragged on, large numbers of passengers gathered at major stations to wait for trains with widened intervals. Overlapping with the morning rush, some stations saw increased platform crowding.
At Yongsan Station in particular, an announcement said the train would run only to the next stop, Namyeong Station, prompting passengers to disembark at once and causing heavy crowds on the platform.
Congestion continued outside the stations. People who gave up on the subway and sought alternative transportation such as buses or taxis crowded the area around Yongsan Station, forming long lines. In some sections, the lines stretched past crosswalks and toward the bus-only lanes.
A KORAIL official said, "The cause of the power supply failure is under investigation," and noted, "We will do our best to restore normal operations."