11,000 tourists stranded at Jeju International Airport as heavy snow grounds flights

Out of 461 scheduled flights, 163 arrivals and departures were canceled, while five planes were diverted to other airports, causing severe congestion inside the terminal, The Korea Times reported.

Although snow-clearing equipment was deployed to reopen the runways, officials warned that flight schedules would likely remain unstable as the snowstorm persisted.

To assist stranded passengers, both airport authorities and the Jeju provincial government prepared emergency supplies.

The airport has stocked about 2,700 blankets, 1,500 mattresses and 1,000 bottles of water, while provincial reserves include an additional 2,158 blankets and the same number of mattresses.

A heavy snow advisory remained in place for Jeju's mountainous regions, where areas around Mount Halla recorded 21.5 centimeters of snowfall in the 24 hours leading up to noon, weather officials said.

The snow season in South Korea typically runs from December through February, with January being the coldest and snowiest month.