Weekend Safety Tips Inside the 'Naengdonggo'!

Daytime Highs on the 8th: -4 to 3 Degrees Celsius
Accidents Caused by Snowy Roads and Strong Winds Occur Nationwide

This weekend, the severe cold will continue, with temperatures dropping below minus 10 degrees Celsius in most parts of the country.

On the 7th, with severe cold and snowfall, office workers are heading to work along the snowy paths in Yeouido, Seoul. 2025.2.7. Photo by Kang Jin-hyeong

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on the 8th, a cold wave warning has been issued for the central region, eastern Jeonbuk, and inland Gyeongsang areas, with morning temperatures expected to remain below minus 10 degrees Celsius in most parts of the country. In particular, the central inland, eastern Jeonbuk, and northern Gyeongbuk will see temperatures drop between minus 15 and minus 20 degrees Celsius. Strong winds will make the wind chill temperature 3 to 5 degrees lower. The daytime high temperature will range from -4 to 3 degrees Celsius.

Until Sunday the 9th, daytime temperatures will remain below zero degrees Celsius in most parts of the country. Morning lows will range from -15 to -3 degrees Celsius, and daytime highs will be between 2 and 6 degrees Celsius. Strong winds will further lower the wind chill, making it feel very cold. On the morning of the 10th, temperatures will remain below minus 10 degrees Celsius in most areas (below minus 15 degrees Celsius in the central inland, eastern Jeonbuk, and northern Gyeongbuk).

With storm warnings issued for most seas, winds will blow very strongly at 30 to 70 km/h (9 to 20 m/s) until the morning of the 10th, and waves will rise very high at 1.5 to 4.0 meters. Ships navigating or fishing should exercise special caution.

Snowfall is expected in some areas over the weekend. Until the 9th, rain or snow is forecast for the western Jeolla region and Jeju Island. Most snow will stop by the afternoon of the 8th in the southern inland of Jeonbuk and the western inland of Jeonnam, but the western coast of Jeolla will see snow continuing until the morning of the 9th. Expected snowfall from the 8th to 9th includes about 1 cm on the western coast of Chungnam, 3 to 8 cm on the western coast of Jeonbuk, Gwangju, western Jeonnam, Ulleungdo, Dokdo, and Jeju Island, and 1 to 5 cm in the southern inland of Jeonbuk.

During the same period, expected precipitation amounts are about 1 mm on the western coast of Chungnam, less than 1 mm in Daejeon and inland Chungnam, less than 5 mm in the western coast and southern inland of Jeonbuk, Gwangju, western Jeonnam, Ulleungdo, and Dokdo, and 5 to 10 mm on Jeju Island.

Meanwhile, due to strong winds and cold weather, incidents and accidents have occurred in various places. On the 6th, a vehicle slipped on a snowy slope in Pocheon City and fell about 40 meters down, but the driver miraculously survived. According to police and fire authorities, near the summit of Yeowu Hill in Idong-myeon, Pocheon City, a K3 vehicle driven by a man in his 70s, Mr. A, slipped and hit the roadside guardrail, then rolled down about 40 meters down the mountain slope beyond the guardrail. Fortunately, the vehicle stopped at the bottom of a valley, and the valley absorbed some of the impact, allowing the driver to avoid serious injury. Police believe the vehicle slipped on black ice, collided with the guardrail, and then fell down the mountain.

On the 7th, in Mansu-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, a church steeple fell about 10 meters onto the sidewalk. There were no casualties in this accident, but part of the steeple caught on communication lines, temporarily cutting off communication in nearby buildings. The steeple, installed on the roof of a three-story building, is estimated to be 20 meters long. Namdong-gu and fire authorities believe the steeple fell due to strong winds in Incheon that day and took safety measures to prevent further accidents.

In Seoul, the severe cold below freezing continued for six consecutive days, causing multiple water meter freezes overnight. According to Seoul City on the 8th, 16 cases of water meter freezing occurred in Seoul from 4 p.m. the previous day to 4 a.m. that day. Since the cold wave warning was issued in Seoul at 9 p.m. on the 3rd, a total of 231 water meter freeze cases have been recorded, all of which have been repaired.