Unexpected Weather

[Anchor Lead]

On January 31 the southern city of Busan, where it hardly ever snows, saw its first snow of the year. Although the amount of snow was just two millimeters, it paralyzed some parts of the city.
Some 300 kindergarten children were stranded on high ground at one point. Here's more.

[Pkg]

Cars have ground to a halt on a snow-covered road. They try desperately to move, but to no avail. Some vehicles have come to a stop.

[Soundbite] Lee Ik-seung(Busan Resident) : "Cars cannot move because the roads are too slippery."

Meteorological data says that the amount of snow in Busan recorded 0.2 centimeters on January 31. But in high-lying areas it snowed heavily, leading to the closures of seven roads. Traffic was paralyzed as well, with local buses unable to move for two hours. Some residents had to descend high-lying areas on foot by walking for one hour.

[Soundbite] Kim Ye-won(Busan Resident) : "I had to walk because the roads have been closed and buses can't move."

Some 350 children at a kindergarten located on a hill were stranded due to frozen roads. They were able to return home by bus after the snow had been removed. Although local authorities began to remove the snow, there was not enough snow-plowing equipment. Thanks to the first snow in a long time, the dry weather alert has been lifted, but it caught Busan off guard.