Asia
Asia
Typhoon Hinnamnor is expected to hit South Korea, with its disaster agency upgrading its emergency response posture to the highest level for the first time in five years for typhoons.
Waves brought by Typhoon Hinnamnor slam into the coast on South Korea's resort island of Jeju on Sep 5, 2022, as the typhoon approaches the Korean Peninsula. (Photo: AFP/Yonhap)
SEOUL: South Korea raised its typhoon alert to its highest level on Monday (Sep 5) as approaching Typhoon Hinnamnor forced flight cancellations, the suspension of some business operations and the closure of schools.
Heavy rain and strong wind pounded the southern part of the country, with the typhoon travelling northward at a speed of 24kmh. Hinnamnor is expected to make landfall southwest of the port city of Busan early on Tuesday, after reaching waters off Jeju Island later on Monday.
President Yoon Suk-yeol said he would be on emergency standby, a day after ordering authorities to do their best to minimise damage from the typhoon.
“Very strong winds and heavy rains are expected across the country through to Tuesday due to the typhoon, with very high waves expected in the coastal region along with storm and tsunami,” the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.
Hinnamnor is on a course that will take it northeast toward Sapporo, Japan, it said.
South Korea classifies typhoons in four categories – normal, strong, very strong, super strong – and Hinnamnor is expected to reach the country as a “very strong” typhoon, according to the KMA. Typhoons under that classification have wind speeds of up to 53m per second.
Warnings have been issued across the southern cities, including Gwangju, Busan, Daegu and Ulsan, following that in the southern island of Jeju, while the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on Sunday upgraded its typhoon alert level to the highest in its four-tier system, the first time in five years.
Busan city and its neighbouring areas have received rain throughout the weekend, with more rain forecast across the wider country for Monday and Tuesday.
No casualties have been reported so far, though more than 100 people have been evacuated and at least 11 facilities have been damaged by floods.
Shipbuilders Hyundai Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and Samsung Heavy Industries said they would halt operations early on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for LG Electronics said it would halt operations on Tuesday at its Gumi production facilities that make large OLED TVs, while steelmaker POSCO is halting operations at its production facilities including its furnaces on Tuesday, the Yonhap news agency said.
SK Innovation, owner of South Korea’s top refiner SK Energy, said it asked carrier ships not to operate until the typhoon passes.
Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines have cancelled most of their Monday flights to Jeju Island, according to their websites, while budget airlines such as Air Seoul and Jin Air have cancelled some of their flights.
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