A cold wave hit South Korea on Tuesday, with temperatures in Seoul dropping to minus 9.3 C as of 8 a.m. and expected to remain below zero in the afternoon too, the state weather agency said.

The apparent temperature for Seoul was minus 15.6 C, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.

Cold wave alerts were issued in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province and some parts of the eastern Gangwon Province, as the morning lows dropped below minus 10 C. Mercury dived to minus 17.9 C at Mount Seorak in Gangwon, with the apparent temperature recorded at minus 26.4 C.

Temperatures in the western port city of Incheon, the central city of Daejeon, the southwestern city of Gwangju and the southeastern port city of Busan were minus 9 C, minus 5.4 C, minus 1.5 C and 2.9 C, respectively, in the morning.

Subzero temperatures are expected to continue into the afternoon in many parts of the country, including Seoul, the central region and North Jeolla Province in the southwest, according to the KMA.

The KMA issued heavy snow alerts in parts of North Jeolla Province, mountainous areas of the southern Jeju Island, and the southeastern islands of Ulleung and Dokdo as snow is expected to begin falling later in the day into Wednesday morning.

Up to 30 centimeters of snow will likely fall on Ulleung Island, Dokdo and the mountainous region of Jeju Island, as well as 1 to 5 cm on the southwestern coast and other parts of Jeju due to temperature differences between the sea and the atmosphere. (Yonhap)