A cold wave warning was issued on Friday for Seoul and most parts of the capital region, as well as the central and eastern provinces of Gangwon, North Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang.

The Korea Meteorological Administration(KMA) issued the alert at 10 a.m. and it will be effective as of 9 p.m. It is the first cold spell warning issued for Seoul this year.

The warning is issued when morning lows are forecast to drop more than 15 degrees to below three degrees Celsius from the previous day, or when morning lows are expected to stay below minus 15 degrees for two or more consecutive days.

A cold snap advisory was issued for Incheon's Ongjin County, South Chungcheong Province and the central cities of Sejong, Daejeon and Daegu.

As northern cold air travels south, temperatures are forecast to drop starting Friday afternoon.

Temperatures Saturday morning are expected to fall below minus five degrees nationwide, with the central inland regions seeing the mercury drop to between minus ten and 15 degrees.