A worker clears snow from the streets of Osan Air Base, South Korea, Jan. 28, 2025. (Eric Mendiola/Stars and Stripes)
OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — Heavy snow Monday night prompted school closures, travel warnings and suspended services for some U.S. bases on the peninsula as the country observes its longest holiday of the year.
Up to 8 inches of snow accumulated Tuesday in some parts in Pyeongtaek city, home of Osan and Camp Humphreys, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.
All schools on both bases were closed for two days starting Tuesday, the Department of Defense Education Activity announced in emails to parents and staff.
More snow was forecast for Tuesday evening with temperatures dipping to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the meteorological administration. No snow is expected after Wednesday; however, temperatures are anticipated to drop to 15 degrees.
Snow accumulates outside the exchange at Osan Air Base, South Korea, Jan. 28, 2025. (Eric Mendiola/Stars and Stripes)
Taxis wait in the snow at Osan Air Base, South Korea, Jan. 28, 2025. (Eric Mendiola/Stars and Stripes)
Outpatient services at the Sgt. Whin Woo Kim Clinic at Humphreys were also suspended Tuesday, according to the Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital’s Facebook page. Emergency, inpatient and ancillary services were still open.
Some services remained open, including gyms, post offices, commissaries, troop dining facilities and restaurants, according to posts on the official Humphreys and Osan Facebook pages.
No damage was reported at Humphreys on Tuesday, garrison spokesman Jeff Nagan said in an email that day.
The snow prompted road-condition warnings from Humphreys and Osan. Drivers on both bases were advised to exercise extreme caution and use snow chains. U.S. service members were limited to driving military vehicles for essential duties only, according to official Facebook pages.
Some roads leading toward Pyeongtaek were icy Tuesday morning. A car was seen sliding off course and hitting a guardrail, joining two other vehicles that met the same fate.
Mission-essential personnel in Pyeongtaek and Seoul were given a delayed, 10 a.m. report time to account for the inclement weather; everyone else was not required to commute to work, according to a text message from the Defense Department’s mass warning system.
“We encourage our workforce and residents to remain off the road until conditions improve,” Nagan said.
Humphreys, the largest U.S. military base overseas, is about 40 miles south of Seoul; Osan, home of the 7th Air Force, is about 30 miles south of the capital city.
Kunsan Air Base, home of the 8th Fighter Wing, 120 miles south of Seoul, also imposed mission-essential travel only. Traveling by bicycle, motorcycle and scooters was suspended and taxis and buses should only be used when necessary, according to a post on Kunsan’s official Facebook page Tuesday.
U.S. and South Korean military bases are relatively vacant this week as the country observes the Lunar New Year, a six-day holiday during which many businesses and government offices are closed while the population visits their families.
U.S. Forces Korea, the command responsible for the 28,500 American troops in the country, also observes the Lunar New Year and grants its personnel a holiday Wednesday “in honor of [South Korean] custom,” according to a command memo.
South Korean acting president Choi Sang-mok encouraged government safety officials to work “day and night” throughout the holiday to ensure residents “can have a safe and comfortable holiday,” according to a presidential office news release Monday.
