Asan Medical Center gridlock traps drivers in underground parking for hours

Severe traffic congestion at Asan Medical Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul — one of the city's chronic bottlenecks — left some drivers stranded in the hospital's underground parking garage for hours Tuesday.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's traffic information center posted a warning on social media around 12:08 p.m. Tuesday, saying roads around the hospital were heavily congested because the underground parking lot was full. Heavy monsoon rain was falling at the time.

Traffic on the nearby Olympic Expressway was already heavy, and the added flow of hospital visitors compounded the gridlock across the surrounding area.

At its worst, vehicles inside the underground garage were completely unable to move.

A 39-year-old surnamed Lee told Yonhap she had barely managed to exit the underground parking lot after three hours inside. "It was so hot down there because it's summer, and there was no internet signal, so it was suffocating," she said.

Meanwhile, Asan Medical Center has been advising visitors to use public transportation or the hospital's shuttle bus service.