A cold wave continued to grip the nation Friday as temperatures plunged and heavy snow fell on southern parts of the country, including South and North Jeolla provinces and Jeju Island, the weather agency said. As of 8 a.m., temperatures stood at minus 11.2 C in Seoul, minus 11.4 C in the western city of Incheon, minus 7 C in the southwestern city of Gwangju and minus 6.1 C in the southeastern city of Busan, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. Temperatures fell to near minus 15 C in some parts of Gyeonggi Province surrounding the capital, the eastern province of Gangwon and northeastern parts of North Gyeongsang Province. The daily highs are forecast to reach minus 5 to plus 4 C. The cold wave is expected to continue through Saturday morning, with temperatures forecast to reach as low as minus 14 C before easing later in the day as winds change direction and blow eastward. Meanwhile, heavy snow alerts have been issued for western parts of the southern provinces of South and North Jeolla, the southern resort island of Jeju, and the eastern islands of Ulleung and Dokdo. As