Commuters Struggle in Deep Snow

Commuters struggled on Thursday morning as snow blanketed the capital region.

The Korea Meteorological Administration urged Koreans to use mass transit to avoid snow-covered roads as a cold front from Siberia that swept through the country gave way to a relatively warmer high-pressure air mass. As they clashed, precipitation turned to snow in the Seoul metropolitan area and central parts.

Snowfall began in the west early Thursday morning and is expected to spread to most parts throughout the day. Seoul and southern provinces will see between 1 to 7 cm of snowfall and some areas more than 10 cm. 

Temperatures will remain below zero on Thursday, causing the snow to freeze over on roads and sidewalks.

Arctic northwesterly winds will return on Friday, bringing more snow to the Chungcheong and Jeolla regions as well as Jeju Island before temperatures warm up again.

Meanwhile, flights resumed on Jeju Island. According to Jeju International Airport, 536 flights took off or landed, allowing some 54,000 people who had been stranded on the resort island to fly home.