By Ian Werther in News — 14 Mar 2026

South Korea braces for thaw as frost and ice hazards threaten supply chains

A cold snap with a wide diurnal temperature swing is forecast across South Korea this weekend, with frost possible in southern inland areas and thaw-related hazards expected as ice on rivers, lakes and reservoirs thaws.

Morning temperatures are expected to dip near or below freezing in inland regions, while daytime highs are projected to reach roughly 10 to 15 degrees Celsius. In the Seoul metropolitan area, morning lows are forecast around the low single digits and afternoons around the low to mid teens.

Underwater Antarctic biodiversity (French scientific base in Antarctica). Identified as Diplulmaris antarctica by Prof. Andre C. Morandini:

“

Sometimes it is not so easy to identify animals by photographs, but in this case we can see some important features.
It is a scyphozoan jellyfish of the order Semaeostomeae, due to the general body shape but mostly because of the marginal tentacles and elongated oral arms.
It is a member of the family Ulmaridae because the gastric cavity is divided in canals, as can be seen by transparency.
Subfamily Ulmarinae because tentacles arise from the margin and gonads are protrusive (the orange pleated tissue in the center).
The difference between the genera of this subfamily (Diplulmaris, Discomedusa, Floresca, Parumbrosa, Ulmaris, Undosa) are the number of sense organs (rhopalia) and the number of tentacles, besides some canal system organization.
As far as I can see the animal in the photo has 21 tentacles and 10 rhopalia (probably more of both). But the angle of the image does not allow me to see more.
I think it is a Diplulmaris antarctica, by the way from all valid species of the subfamily, this is the only one known from Antarctic waters. The species has 16 sense organs and 16-48 tentacles.
If you Google it, at least the first images are OK.

” — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The Korea Meteorological Administration cautions farmers to prepare for frost in southern inland areas and warns that melting ice can thin the walls of rivers and reservoirs, making ice brittle and prone to breaking. Officials also note the risk of ground subsidence at construction sites and potential landslides on mountain slopes during thaw conditions.

Elsewhere, inland areas may experience fog with visibility under 1 kilometer in places. Coastal areas along the East Sea (Sea of Japan) and Jeju Island could see strong swells and high waves that push onto beaches, rocky shores, breakwaters and coastal roads.

Air quality is expected to be “moderate” in the capital region, western Gangwon, Chungcheong, Jeolla, and parts of Jeonbuk and Daejeon–Sejong, with other regions ranked as “good.” The readings reflect typical seasonal variation and may influence outdoor activities.

This natural-colour (photo-like) image shows winter ice hugging the coastline of Canada’s Baffin Island. Clouds often hover over the Arctic during the Northern Hemisphere summer, making cloud-free images such as this one relatively rare. Although a few wispy clouds appear in the upper right and lower left corners of this image, the delicate swirls of white running along the eastern edge of Baffin Island are sea ice. Eddies along Baffin Island’s coast have fashioned the ice into interlocking swirls, especially near Cumberland Sound. Farther north, a long band of ice holds fast to the shore east of Barnes Icecap. Although less inclined to move with the currents, this ice also shows signs of weakening, as its edges splinter, and pieces float away. The sea ice retreat captured in this image appears typical of seasonal melt. Since the turn of the twenty-first century, however, Arctic sea ice extent has declined sharply, experiencing a series of low summertime extents and poor wintertime recoveries. — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Why this matters for the United States: Korea is a major producer of electronics and components and a crucial logistics hub in Northeast Asia. Weather-induced disruptions to farming, road and rail transport, or port activity can ripple through global supply chains, affecting the timing and cost of shipments of consumer devices, automotive parts, and other high-tech goods that pass through or rely on Korean manufacturing networks.

The forecast underscores how rapid thaw conditions can create infrastructure risks that, if realized, could slow transportation and impact energy and industrial operations in a region that is tightly integrated with U.S. supply chains and markets. The report is based on advisories from the Korea Meteorological Administration, with local details published by Gyeonggi Ilbo.

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