Heavy snow and rain is in the forecast on Saturday in most parts of the country, before gradually subsiding starting in the afternoon.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration(KMA), precipitation will cover the central region and parts of the southern areas of North Jeolla and South Gyeongsang provinces Friday night, before expanding nationwide.

Heavy snowfall is projected for the central and eastern part of North Jeolla regions during early hours of Saturday.

Up to ten centimeters of snow are predicted for eastern part of North Jeolla Province and western part of Gangwon Province, and up to eight centimeters in Gyeonggi Province and northern part of North Chungcheong Province.

Morning lows on Saturday are forecast to be between minus five and four degrees Celsius, before daytime highs rise to between one and nine degrees.

A cold snap is expected on Sunday, with morning lows plunging to between minus 13 and one degree Celsius and daytime highs of between zero and seven degrees.

Earlier on Friday, the interior ministry urged relevant agencies to undertake thorough preparations, to monitor real-time weather conditions and implement proactive emergency response systems.

It also advised a close monitoring of vulnerable facilities and called for snow removal vehicles to act quickly to spray roads with de-icing agents.