Seoul: Heavy snow blanketed South Korea for the second consecutive day Tuesday, disrupting transportation services and causing traffic congestion for people heading to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year holiday. As of noon, 61 centimeters had piled up on Mount Halla in the southern resort island of Jeju since Monday, while Jincheon, about 85 kilometers southeast of Seoul, received 42 cm of snow and the southwestern Seoul ward of Gwanak 16 cm.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) forecast up to 20 cm of snow to additionally fall in the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces through Wednesday and up to 10 cm of snow in other parts of the country. The heavy snow led to car accidents across the nation, while a light-rail train operating in Yongin, south of Seoul, was disrupted for 2 1/2 hours before resuming service at 11:10 a.m.

In Jeju, major roads crossing Mount Halla were fully closed as up to 130 cm of snow had accumulated in mountain areas on the island. A total of 111 flights were canceled at airports across the nation, including 68 that were due to leave from the country's main international airport in Incheon, west of Seoul, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.

Fishing vessels and passenger ships connecting islands to inland ports were also suspended, causing inconvenience for those traveling to their hometowns. Some KTX high-speed train services were running slower than usual for passenger safety amid heavy snow and cold weather, the railway operator said. The affected train lines are the Gyeongbu, Honam, Gangneung, and central services, according to the Korea Railroad Corp.

The entrances to 20 national parks across the country were also cordoned off for safety, officials said.