Season's coldest weather grips S Korea

South Korea came under the grip of the season's coldest weather on Sunday, with the morning lows plummeting to minus 12.4 C in Seoul, the state weather agency said, Yonhap reported.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) predicted temperatures will drop further Monday morning, with the morning lows in the capital expected to be between minus 18 C to minus 3 C.

The weather agency said the Daegwallyeong district in Gangwon Province saw the temperature drop to morning lows of minus 16.8 C and a sensible temperature of nearly minus 29.7 C on Sunday.

A total of 14 flights were canceled on the southern resort island of Jeju on Sunday afternoon, officials said, amid the cold wave and heavy snow.

The cold snap affected Jeju International Airport, prompting the 14 flights to be canceled and another 97 flights to be delayed, according to airport officials.

As of 3:10 p.m., mountainous areas in Jeju had received up to 22.6 centimeters of snow, weather authorities said.

The flight cancellations at the Jeju airport came a day after the KMA issued heavy snow warnings for the country's central and western areas.

Jeju police were controlling traffic on all 1,100 roads across the island, allowing only large vehicles with winterization equipment on the roads.

A cold wave advisory also took effect in areas including Seoul, Busan, Daejeon and Daegu at 9 p.m. Saturday.

The advisory is issued when the morning low comes below minus 12 C for more than two consecutive days or when the temperature drops more than 10 C to below minus 3 C.

On Sunday, the Seoul metropolitan government said it maintained the cold wave advisory and took precautionary measures against potential damage.