(2nd LD) Heavy snow blankets S. Korea’s wider Seoul, eastern region

(ATTN: UPDATES with details in last 3 paras)

SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) — Thick snow hit South Korea’s wider Seoul area and the eastern region of Gangwon on Sunday, prompting authorities to raise the weather alert and brace for possible disruptions, officials said, but no major damage was reported.

Seoul had received around 6 centimeters of snow in some areas as of noon, with some 5,245 personnel and 1,439 pieces of equipment mobilized to clear roads, according to the Seoul metropolitan government.

The city government, however, said no major damage has occurred. A heavy snow alert was lifted at 12:30 p.m.

In Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, some northern cities received around 10 cm of snow, with the border town of Paju receiving some 12 cm of snow as of 3 p.m. Heavy snow alerts in the province were lifted after 1 p.m.

In Gangwon Province, officials cordoned off the entrance of some 25 trekking routes at national parks for visitor safety, while a morning flight from Wonju to the southern resort island of Jeju was canceled.

As of 3:30 p.m., most heavy snow alerts had been lifted across the nation, excluding the mountain areas of Jeju, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The Ministry of Interior and Safety said it has lifted the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters from Level 1 and also lowered the crisis alert to “attention” from “caution” as of 4 p.m., eight hours after the government heightened response.

Due to Sunday’s heavy snow, 18 flights and five passenger ships were canceled, while a section of a road in Seoul was disrupted, but no major damage was reported, according to a preliminary tally by the ministry.

The KMA forecast up to 5 cm of snow to additionally fall in the eastern Gyeonggi Province and the inner Gangwon region, and around 1 cm of snow to fall in the greater Seoul area and the central region through Monday.

elly@yna.co.kr
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