Typhoon Kompasu struck central South Korea early Thursday morning, bringing downpours and gusts that paralyzed metro operations in Seoul and adjacent areas.
With almost all above-ground sections of Seoul's subway lines out of service, street trees toppled and winds blowing at a speed of over 20 meters per second, commuters and students were forced to undergo the worst transportation chaos in decades.
The typhoon caused power outages along the west coast and forced airlines to cancel or divert domestic and international flights.
Kompasu is the strongest tropical storm to hit Seoul in 15 years.
The seventh typhoon of the year reached Ganghwa Island on the west coast at a speed of 45 kilometers per hour as of 6:35 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
The KMA issued typhoon warnings for Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and South Chungcheong Province, forecasting the tropical storm is expected to move to the East Sea Thursday afternoon.