The government is to designate three provinces in the countrys central area as a special disaster zone.

The measure comes in the wake of reports that tally the property damage from last weeks heavy snowfall in excess of 500 billion won.

The residents of the designated disaster area will be eligible for state subsidies and compensation for damage from the snowstorm.

The Central Anti-Disaster Headquarters estimated the property damage at 522.4 billion won as of 6 a.m. Tuesday.

The Chungcheong provinces were hit hardest, with damage estimated at 410 billion won. North Gyeongsang Province suffered 64 billion won in damages, with the estimate for the city of Daejeon coming to 47 billion won.