The Interior and Safety Ministry raised its crisis alert by one notch following heavy snow advisories issued for Daejeon and Sejong cities and South Chungcheong and North Jeolla provinces.

It was raised by one level to "caution" from the lowest "attention" in the nation's four-tier scheme as of 3:40 p.m. Thursday while the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters also activated level one emergency mode.

Local authorities and state agencies must respond quickly to initiate snow removing operations on major roads and to increase public transport if necessary.

Plowing snow should take priority with COVID-19-related facilities such as test sites and treatment centers to ensure smooth public access.

The government called for careful attention to all areas in snow removal work including back roads and rural village pathways.