A polar cold wave has swept across northern South Korea, causing temperatures in the capital, Seoul, to drop to 22 degrees below zero, marking the coldest morning of the season. Temperatures fell to 24.7 degrees Celsius below zero in the border town of Chorwon with North Korea, 20.6 degrees Celsius below zero in the nearby town of Hwacheon, and 18.4 degrees Celsius below zero in the Daegwallyeong area, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The agency reported that Seoul recorded 14.4 degrees Celsius below zero, with perceived temperatures dropping to 22 degrees below zero.
Heavy snowfall of 1 to 5 centimeters per hour continued to affect Jeju Island, the southern region of Jeolla, and the western coast of Chungcheong Province until 8 a.m., where a warning for heavy snowfall was issued earlier. The weather agency indicated that snow would continue to fall throughout the day in various regions and until Friday in Jeju Island, where some mountainous areas are expected to accumulate more than 60 centimeters of snow.
By 5 a.m., other major cities recorded temperatures below freezing, with Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, at 12.8 degrees Celsius below zero, Daejeon in central South Korea at 11.9 degrees Celsius below zero, Gwangju at 6.7 degrees Celsius below zero, and Busan at 6.5 degrees Celsius below zero. Earlier, the government issued the second-highest warning after a heavy snowfall warning was declared for the southern regions of the country.
