Freezing weather swept South Korea on Friday morning, with the temperature plunging to near minus 10 degrees Celsius in Seoul and nearby areas.
The Korean Meteorological Administration said that wind chill would lower the actual temperature people feel outside to minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Major cities in the peninsula saw morning lows drop sharply, hitting minus 9.4 degrees Celsius in Seoul and minus 9.1 degrees Celsius in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.
The daytime highs dropped below freezing the country, ranging from minus 3 to minus 5 degrees Celsius.
Cold weather warnings were issued for Gyeonggi, Gangwon and North Chungcheong provinces.
Heavy snow warnings were issued for Jeolla and Chungcheong provinces, and the KMA said these regions would see up to 10 centimeters of snow over the weekend.
Despite the cold weather, the skies will continue to be clear due to the wind and the high pressure, it added.
Weather forecasters encouraged citizens to bundle up before heading out as strong wind is expected throughout the day. They also asked people to keep an eye on their water pipes in case of freezing amid the continued fall of outside temperatures.
Forecasters said the roads may become iced up and slippery over the weekend.
While the freezing cold is set to continue for the next few days, the state-run disease control center said Thursday that a total of 12 patients were delivered to emergency rooms across the nation for related symptoms, such as hypothermia, frostbite, swelling and blisters
One of them was found dead after being exposed to the freezing cold for too long.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that citizens should avoid outdoor activities and dress warmly.
By Kim Da-sol, Intern reporter (dasolkim@heraldcorp.com)
