Warm Tent Shelters

[Anchor Lead]

It is almost painful to wait for your bus at an outdoor bus stop amid this bitter cold. Warm shelters can now be found near many bus stops to the relief of passengers. Meanwhile, shade umbrellas, which were installed near crossings during the summer, have been transformed into Christmas trees.​

[Pkg]

Amid strong winds and a severe cold spell with the mercury dropping below minus ten degrees Celsius, people involuntarily hunch and curl up while waiting for their buses, despite their multiple layers of thick clothes.

[Soundbite] Lee Hyun-jeong(Seoul Resident) : "I have been waiting for my bus for five minutes. It is really cold with strong winds."

A plastic tent with a yellow roof was set up near a bus stop in Seoul. It is a shelter for bus riders to wait inside until their buses arrive. The temperature comes in at minus five degrees Celsius outside the tent. Inside the tent, the mercury rises by over three degrees to minus two degrees. But it feels far warmer, as winds can be avoided inside the shelter.

[Soundbite] Chu Seong-woong(Seoul Resident) : "The weather is so cold that it feels like my hands would freeze if I pull them out. But it is quite warmer inside here."

A district government in Seoul has installed tent shelters near some 30 bus stops since last month. The tents are quickly spreading, as other districts are following suit. The tents are similar to roughly 800 shades that were set up near crosswalks in Seoul during the summer. The summer shades have turned into Christmas trees with the arrival of the winter, becoming a welcome seasonal sight.