The state weather agency has forecast that the southernmost Jeju Island and areas along the south coast will be hit with the year's first monsoon rains early next week.

Citing a low pressure system from southern China and the monsoonal rain front traveling northward, the Korea Meteorological Administration(KMA) said on Friday that rains are expected for Jeju on Monday afternoon and the southern region on Tuesday.

The KMA also projected a strong torrential rainfall over parts of Jeju and along the southern coastal areas. The rain front will continue to blanket Jeju and the southern areas.

The monsoon rains this year are expected to begin one day later than the past average of June 19 on Jeju and two days earlier than the average of June 23 in the south.

However, the weather agency has yet to forecast when the rains will affect the central region, citing uncertainties over the route of the low pressure system.