A prolonged cold spell sent the mercury in Seoul plummeting Wednesday, with temperatures dropping to their lowest in six years.
Seoul recorded minus 15.3 degrees Celsius, the lowest since minus 16.7 degrees on Jan. 22, 2004, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.
The morning low dropped to minus 22.2 degrees in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, the lowest temperature in the country, and minus 17 and 14.5 degrees in Chuncheon, and Suwon, respectively.
Even the usually warm southern resort island of Jeju registered minus 0.9 degrees.
Meanwhile, the southwestern Jeolla and Chungcheong provinces saw heavy overnight snowfall.
The weather agency said 23.5 cm of snow fell in Yeonggwang, some 322km south of Seoul, while 13.3 cm fell on Jin Island and 12.7 cm in Jeongeup.
The cold spell is expected to ease around Saturday as daytime temperatures should rise above zero, while snowfall in the southwestern region is predicted to continue until Thursday morning, according to the KMA.