Cold wave alerts will be issued for most parts of the country Monday evening as the capital and central parts of the nation come under the grip of the season's coldest weather.

The Korea Meteorological Administration(KMA) said the cold wave warning will take effect for all of Seoul at 9 p.m., with the capital city to see morning temperatures on Tuesday plunge severely to minus 17 degrees Celsius.

Daytime temperatures will rise only slightly to around minus 12 degrees in Seoul, while the rest of the nation will also see freezing temperatures of around minus ten degrees.

The cold wave is expected to peak on Wednesday, the first day after the Lunar New Year holiday, with temperatures projected to fall to minus 18 degrees in the capital and minus 12 degrees for the southern regions, including Gwangju and Busan.

Heavy snow is forecast for Jeju Island and the Jeolla Provinces, with the island to see up to 70 centimeters of snow between Tuesday and Wednesday while the provinces will see up to 20 centimeters.