S.Korea braces for ‘very strong’ typhoon, businesses curb operations

A woman makes her way through strong winds brought by Typhoon Hinnamnor in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo on September 4, 2022. Mandatory Credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

SEOUL, Sept 5 (Reuters) – Typhoon Hinnamnor approached South Korea on Monday, forcing the cancellation of flights, the suspension of some business operations and the closure of schools, as the country raised its typhoon alert level at maximum.

Heavy rains and strong winds battered the southern part of the country, with the typhoon traveling north at a speed of 24 km per hour (15 mph). Hinnamnor is expected to make landfall southwest of the port city of Busan early Tuesday, after arriving in the waters off Jeju Island on Monday.

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that he will be on emergency standby, a day after he ordered authorities to make every effort to minimize damage from the typhoon, which has been classified as “very strong.”

“Very strong winds and heavy rain are expected across the country until Tuesday due to the typhoon, with very high waves in the coastal region along with storm surge and tsunami,” the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.

According to the KMA forecast, Hinnamnor is heading northeast toward Sapporo, Japan.

South Korea classifies typhoons into four categories: normal, strong, very strong, super strong, and Hinnamnor is expected to hit the country as a “very strong” typhoon, according to the KMA. Typhoons in this classification have wind speeds of up to 53 meters per second.

Warnings have been issued in southern cities including Gwangju, Busan, Daegu and Ulsan, then on the southern island of Jeju, while the central disaster and security countermeasures headquarters on Sunday upgraded its alert level from typhoon at its highest in its four levels. system, the first time in five years.

The city of Busan and its surrounding areas have received rain throughout the weekend, with more rain expected across the country on Monday and Tuesday.

So far, no casualties have been reported, although more than 100 people have been evacuated and at least 11 facilities have been damaged by the floods.

Steel POSCO ( 005490.KS ) told Reuters it was considering suspending some of its production processes in the city of Pohang on Tuesday, while SK Innovation ( 096770.KS ), owner of South Korea’s top refiner South SK Energy, said it was asking transport ships not to. to operate until the typhoon passes.

In response to local media reports of planned shutdowns of their operations, South Korean shipbuilders Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering ( 009540.KS ), Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) ( 042660.KS ) and Samsung Heavy Industries, DSME said a decision on the suspension of its operations will be made later Monday.

Korean Air Lines ( 003490.KS ) and Asiana Airlines ( 020560.KS ) canceled most of their Monday flights to Jeju Island, according to their websites, while budget airlines such as Air Seoul and Jin Air have canceled some of their flights.

Reporting by Joori Roh; Additional reporting by Joyce Lee and Heekyong Yang; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman

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