A heavy snow covers Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, Jan. 5. Yonhap

Thick snow hit South Korea's wider Seoul area and the eastern region of Gangwon on Sunday, prompting authorities to raise the weather alert and brace for possible disruptions, officials said.

Seoul was expected to receive up to 8 centimeters of snow through Monday, with its surrounding Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon in the country's northeast to see as much as 10 cm in the same period, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.

A worker clears the snow in front of the Gwanghwamun Gate in Seoul, Jan. 5. Yonhap

The Ministry of Interior and Safety said it had activated the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters at Level 1 and raised the crisis alert to "caution" from "attention" as of 8 a.m.

Acting Interior Minister Ko Ki-dong instructed relevant agencies to mobilize all personnel and equipment to minimize damage from heavy snowfall and implement measures to reduce public inconvenience, such as traffic congestion. (Yonhap)