Daecheon Stream in Hwamyeong-dong, Busan is frozen, Wednesday. (Yonhap)
Daecheon Stream in Hwamyeong-dong, Busan is frozen, Wednesday. (Yonhap)

A powerful cold wave continues to grip the country, with Wednesday’s morning lows dropping even further from the previous day, and Seoul reporting the lowest temperature of minus 11.8 degrees Celsius.

Temperatures in Seoraksan dipped to as low as minus 24.1 degrees Wednesday morning, Paju saw minus 17.2 degrees. Inland areas also subzero temperatures with mercuries dropping to around minus 5 degrees in Daegu.

The cold weather is due to strong northwesterly winds, formed between a cyclone in the north and an anticyclone in the west, carrying Arctic air southward to Korean Peninsula, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

The cold snap is forecast persist through the weekend, the KMA said.