Typhoon Kompasu hitting Korea

By Park Si-soo

Typhoon Kompasu pounded Jeju Island and southern parts of the Korean Peninsula with heavy rains and high winds, Wednesday forcing hundreds of fishing boats and ferries to remain moored.

The government issued a “typhoon warning” for waters south of Jeju. The typhoon is forecast to swirl toward the western part of the peninsula and soak the west coast near Seoul around noon today, submitting the entire country under the influence of Kompasu, which means compass in Japanese.

It will pass through the peninsula by Friday, the state weather agency said Wednesday.

Maeng Hyung-kyu, minister of public administration and security, asked chiefs of provincial governments to properly prepare.

“The typhoon may cause devastating damage. All disaster-countering headquarters should take all possible steps to minimize damage,” Maeng said.

As of late Wednesday, the mid-sized storm continued to strengthen, heading inland at 37 kilometers per hour.

“Some regions will see torrential downpours of more than 50 millimeters per hour,” said Kim Seung-bae, a spokesman for the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). “Some coastal regions in the southern and western parts of the country will have precipitation of more than 300 millimeters in the next couple of days.”

The KMA said Seoul and provinces in the central part of the peninsula will have up to 150 millimeters of rain. Kim said the typhoon will eventually weaken as it approaches inland.

Daecheong Dam in North Chungcheong Province, began to discharge water early Wednesday to secure more room to store water from above.

Kompasu is expected to take its toll on North Korea already suffering from torrential rains and consequent flooding in northern regions. More than 5,000 residents in cities on the border with China have been evacuated, the Seoul government estimates.

In a humanitarian move, South Korea’s Red Cross has offered the North aid worth 10 billion won ($8.3 million).

As Kompasu approached, Shanghai closed schools and suspended ferry services, according to The Associated Press Wednesday. Chinese authorities were on alert for potential wind damage and flooding at the World Expo site, which has attracted hundreds and thousands of people a day in recent weeks, The Associated Press reported.

Japan canceled hundreds of flights and many ferry services to its southern islands. A blackout hit 1,320 houses in Okinawa, Tuesday.

태풍 '곤파스' 영향권, 비상태세

강풍과 폭우를 동반한 태풍 `곤파스'가 제주도에 접근함에 따라 수백여 척의 어선과 여객선의 발이 묶였다. 정부는 이에 따라 태풍주의보를 남부지방에 발령했다.

곤파스는 한반도 서쪽을 관통해 목요일 정오쯤 인천 근해에 도달할 것으로 보인다.

기상청은 이번 태풍은 금요일쯤 완전히 한반도를 빠져나갈 것으로 예상했다. 행안부는 모든 지자체 공무원들에게 태풍에 대비해 만반의 준비를 갖출 것을 당부했다.