Hearing on Asiana crash rescheduled due to snowstorm

An investigative hearing on the cause of an Asiana Airlines passenger jet crash in late July has been rescheduled to open on Wednesday, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

It originally planned to hold a two-day hearing from Tuesday at its Washington headquarters but had to postpone due to inclement weather in the Washington, D.C. area.

The hearing has been "rescheduled for tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. Condensed to one day, (it) will run until 8 p.m.," the NTSB announced.

The hearing is intended to gather more facts associated with the crash landing of the Asiana Flight 214 at the San Francisco International Airport.

The NTSB's decision came as a snowstorm forced federal government offices to close for the day.

In a notice, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said emergency and telework-ready employees are required to work and follow their agencies' own policies.

The Washington Foreign Press Center was also closed, with the State Department canceling a daily press briefing. Schools in D.C. and nearby states were shut as well.

A host of seminars and other public events were also called off.

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars said it canceled a forum on the Korean Peninsula trust-building process and South Korea-U.S. alliance.

Winter storms caused flight cancellations or delays at airports around the region, according to the FlightAware website. (Yonhap News)