"Please Let Me Go Home"... Customers Trapped in Department Store Parking Lot for 5 Hours Vent Their Anger

Traffic Gridlocked Around Express Bus Terminal and Banpo Amid Heavy Rain

Customers Stranded at Shinsegae's Gangnam Branch

Social Media Flooded With Posts About Hours-Long Waits

Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds battered Seoul, triggering a parking gridlock at Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch, where customers were unable to retrieve their cars for more than five hours. Severe congestion on nearby roads left customers waiting in the underground parking lot inconvenienced, while posts describing the situation and complaints flooded social media.

Customers at Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch in Seocho-gu, Seoul, were trapped in the underground parking lot for hours on the 18th, unable to exit. Yonhap News.

According to reports by Yonhap News and the JoongAng Ilbo on the 19th, cars began experiencing delays when leaving the Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam branch in Seocho-gu, Seoul, at around 5 p.m. the previous day. The department store repeatedly announced over its public address system that "cars are delayed in leaving due to severe traffic congestion on the surrounding roads." Some customers were unable to get out of the parking lot for hours and had to leave their cars behind and go home, or wait for traffic conditions to improve.

A customer in his 40s surnamed Lee, who visited the department store that day, told Yonhap News, "I've been waiting for five hours since 4:40 p.m. I've lived nearby for more than 10 years, and I've never seen anything like this." He added, "I went home at 6 p.m. and came back at 8 p.m., but the cars were still in the same places. The temperature in the parking lot is over 40 degrees. It's like being in hell."

"Parking Lot Temperature Over 40 Degrees": Customers Outraged

Customers also took to social media to post about the inconvenience caused by the delays in leaving the parking lot. Posts included comments such as, "I've been unable to get my car out of Shinsegae Gangnam for four hours," and "I'm stuck in the underground parking lot. I haven't moved an inch in two hours, so I've turned off the engine." Some customers reportedly got out of their cars to see what was happening as the traffic backup continued.

Another customer expressed frustration, writing, "I'm being held captive in the underground parking lot at Shinsegae Gangnam. Please let me go home." A customer who said they were on the fourth basement level also posted that their car had been stuck since around 4 p.m. for more than four hours, and that they were left waiting without any solution because of congestion on the surrounding roads.

The sudden downpour and increased weekend traffic were cited as the causes of the parking gridlock. Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch is located in one of Seoul's major traffic-congestion areas, close to the Express Bus Terminal and Express Bus Terminal Station. With weekend shoppers adding to the usual heavy traffic, the downpour brought traffic on nearby roads to a virtual standstill.

Department Store: "Heavy Rain and Congestion on Nearby Roads Were to Blame"... Waives Additional Parking Fees Through the Following Day

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's traffic information system and fire authorities, severe traffic congestion occurred around the Express Bus Terminal in Seocho-gu at around 6:20 p.m. on the 18th. Cars were unable to move for several minutes on the road toward Banpo Bridge in front of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and on the road toward Banpo IC in front of the Express Bus Terminal. Traffic was also reportedly paralyzed as cars became tangled at the intersection in front of Samho Garden Mansion 5.

The entrance to the Express Bus Terminal at 10:15 p.m. on the 18th. CCTV footage from the Seoul Metropolitan Government's traffic information system.

Shinsegae Department Store said the delays in leaving the parking lot were caused by traffic congestion on nearby roads, not an incident inside the parking lot. A department store representative explained, "There wasn't an accident. Traffic was heavy around Banpo, and it also rained suddenly. We are guiding cars out in line with traffic conditions." The representative added that arrangements had been made to allow customers who could not retrieve their cars to leave them until the following day without paying additional parking fees. Police also deployed traffic officers and local police to respond to traffic conditions at the scene. Congestion near the department store reportedly began to ease around 10 p.m. that night.

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