The Han River in Seoul is covered with ice on Dec. 25, 2022, in this photo provided by the Korea Meteorological Administration.
The Han River in Seoul was declared frozen by South Korea’s state weather agency for the first time this winter Sunday, as a cold snap has continued for days.
The first freeze of the river was observed on the river running through the capital city more than two weeks earlier than previous years, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
According to the KMA, the river is officially frozen when it has thick ice in a 100-meter-long area between the Han River Bridge’s second and fourth piers. The bridge links Yongsan Ward and Dongjak Ward
In previous winters, the first freeze on the river was declared around Jan. 10. Last winter, the Han River never officially froze.
Heavy rain The Olympic Expressway along the Han River is empty on the morning of Aug. 9, 2022, as the river slowly encroaches on the road due to torrential rains of over 100 millimeters per hour that battered Seoul and surrounding areas the previous night, the heaviest downpours in 80 years. (Yonhap)
It appears a North Korean boy’s body has been found floating in the Han River estuary:
Police officers inspect a riverside bank near Yeouido Han River Park in Seoul on July 9, 2021. The photo is not related to the story. [YONHAP]
The corpse of a very thin boy washed up in South Korean waters near the sea border with North Korea and police are looking for clues as to whether it came from the North.
A 110-centimeter-tall boy was found dead near Jeollyu port in the Han River Estuary on Wednesday. Police wonder whether he was washed over the border.
According to the Ilsan Western Police, the body of the child was discovered by a fisherman around 12 p.m.
The corpse didn’t seem to have injuries but was extremely thin.
“The boy seems to be around the age of 10 and was only wearing a pair of worn-out, red shorts — no shirt,” a police officer said.
The shorts had no brand and had a rubber band around the waistline, which would be unusual on a South Korean child.
To identify the corpse, the police asked the National Institute of Forensic Sciences to determine the manufacturer of the shorts.
Here is the latest restrictions on people in Seoul:
This photo shows people relaxing at Yeouido Han River Park in Seoul on Sept. 6, 2020. (Yonhap)
The Seoul metropolitan government on Tuesday restricted access to crowded areas of Han River parks starting at 2 p.m. to help contain the spread of COVID-19.
The affected areas are two squares at Yeouido Han River Park, parts of Ttukseom Park and two picnic zones at Banpo Han River Park.
Across the Han River parks, 28 stores and seven cafes will end at 9 p.m. every day. Forty-three parking lots at 11 Han River parks will also deny entry from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Han River partly frozenThis photo, taken from the observatory of the 123-story Lotte World Tower in Seoul on Jan. 2, 2019, shows the Han River, which bisects the South Korean capital, partly frozen. (Yonhap)
Rescue effortRescue boats and a helicopter search the Han River after a firefighting chopper crashed into the river near eastern Seoul on Dec. 1, 2018. The authorities later rescued three people, one of whom was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital after a cardiac arrest. (Yonhap)
A second defector has crossed over the DMZ in a week:
A North Korean man defected to South Korea on Sunday after crossing the border, Seoul’s military said.
He was spotted at the northern part of the mouth of the Han River in Gimpo, just west of Seoul, according to Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The JCS said the man, in his early 20s, was spotted around 2:30 a.m. Sunday near the observation post of the Second Marine Division. Questioning is under way to find out what caused him to flee to the South.
The man is said to have swum his way south with plastic foam pieces on both shoulders to stay afloat. The JCS said he was discovered at a particularly narrow stretch in the river. [Yonhap]
I saw this story posted over at Reddit Korea about a Korean man caught illegally dumping pig carcasses into the Han River:
Apparently since October of last year, he would dispose of pigs he had used for jesa(제사) by dumping them into the Han River. In total he discarded nearly 100 pigs, amounting to 13 tons of illegal dumping in a public waterway! [Reddit Korea]
Long time ROK Heads may remember the large protests that happened when a USFK mortician poured 20 gallons of formaldehyde down a drain that was diluted first of all by running water, then was processed through the Seoul waste treatment system, and finally through the Nanjido central metropolitan treatment plant along with 1.9 million gallons of other sewage and waste that was processed through those facilities that day.
Does anyone think this farmer will face mass protests and massive media demonization for what he did to pollute the river?
![Police officers inspect a riverside bank near Yeouido Han River Park in Seoul on July 9, 2021. The photo is not related to the story. [YONHAP]](https://i0.wp.com/koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2022/07/06/5705c035-d97e-4a0d-aa3b-dadda798e147.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
