Operation of the Gyeongwon railway line connecting Seoul and eastern Gangwon Province was partially suspended from Friday afternoon due to electricity supply issues.

According to the Korea Railroad Corporation(KORAIL), operation between Soyosan Station and Yeoncheon Station was halted from around 5 p.m. Friday. 

As a response, KORAIL started operating shuttle buses as alternative transportation, while dispatching workers to restore the power supply.

The Korea National Railway, which built the suspended section, said a lightning arrester at Yeoncheon Station had been damaged several times since last December, and that it plans to conduct a close on-site inspection.

KORAIL said similar defects have been reported four times since operation between Soyosan and Yeoncheon began on December 16 last year.

A KORAIL official said operation for the section is expected to resume next week following an inspection on Monday.