"It Took Three Hours Just to Exit the Parking Lot"... Vehicles Stuck at Asan Medical Center

Heavy Monsoon Rains and Olympic-daero Bottleneck Cause Gridlock

On July 21, severe traffic congestion occurred in the area surrounding Asan Medical Center in Seoul, causing some citizens to remain trapped in the underground parking lot for several hours.

Underground parking lot of Asan Medical Center, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News reader

The Traffic Information Center of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency informed the public through social media at 12:08 p.m. that day, stating, "The parking lot at Asan Medical Center is full, and the surrounding roads are extremely congested."

The congestion is believed to have been caused by both a surge in traffic volume on the nearby Olympic-daero from the morning—amid heavy monsoon rains—and the influx of hospital visitors, creating bottlenecks throughout the area. This section is already known to experience frequent traffic jams even under normal circumstances.

As a result, some citizens attempting to leave the hospital experienced significant inconvenience, remaining stuck in the underground parking lot for hours. Lee (39) told Yonhap News, "It took me three hours to finally get out of the underground parking lot. It was extremely hot since it's summer and the parking lot is underground, and I felt frustrated because there was no internet access."

When congestion was at its peak, cars in the underground parking lot were unable to move for extended periods of time. Currently, the traffic has eased somewhat, and movement in the area has become more fluid.

Related material photo. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety recently urged drivers to exercise caution in wet summer conditions, recommending reduced speeds and maintaining sufficient safety distances to prevent traffic accidents in the rain.

According to the Ministry, an analysis of average monthly precipitation and traffic accidents over the five-year period (2021–2025) showed that July has the highest average precipitation at 309.3 mm and the most rainy days with 13.6. Rain-related traffic accidents are also most frequent in July, with 1,641 cases, and the number of casualties reached 2,408—the highest monthly totals.

The Ministry emphasized that vehicles are more prone to skidding and have longer braking distances on wet roads, advising drivers to travel below posted speed limits and avoid sudden braking. In particular, it explained that when roads are wet due to showers, drivers should lower their speed by 20% below the speed limit; and in heavy rain, when visibility is less than 100 meters, the speed should be reduced by up to 50%. The Ministry also added that drivers need to be especially cautious at night or during early morning hours, as reflections from rain can make it difficult to see road boundaries, puddles, or protruding objects.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.