By Park Si-soo
A typhoon is fast approaching the Korean Peninsula, with heavy rains and winds forecast for Thursday, the weather agency said Tuesday.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), the typhoon — Kompasu, which mean compass in Japanese — is swirling toward the western part of the peninsula at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour from waters off Okinawa, Japan.
Jeju Island is expected to be hit first, Wednesday, and then the entire country will be drenched through Thursday, the KMA said.
“It remains to be seen which way the typhoon will move. Given the route so far and other data, it is forecast to get even stronger and soak the western coast of the country,” said Kim Seung-bae, a KMA spokesman.
In particular, heavy rains of more than 120 millimeters are expected on the southern and western coasts.
“Some regions may see torrential downpours of more than 40 millimeters of rain per hour,” Kim said.
The weather agency said the heavy rain will also pound North Korea. South Korea’s Red Cross said Tuesday it has offered the poverty-stricken communist state aid worth 10 billion won ($8.3 million) following severe floods that washed away homes, roads, railways and farmland. More than 5,000 residents in cities on the border with China were evacuated.