By Na Jeong-ju
Heavy downpours and strong winds are expected nationwide from Sunday as Typhoon Sanba approaches the peninsula fast from the western Pacific, forecasters said Friday.
The storm, which is gaining strength as it moves north, may hit the country on Monday.
It is now on a path to pass near the Japanese island of Okinawa, on late Saturday or early Sunday. After that, the typhoon may travel towards the southern tip of the Korean peninsula Monday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
Sanba, named after a city in Macau, is the 16th typhoon to hit the country this year.
By the time it hits Jeju Island, it will become as powerful as Bolaven which devastated parts of the country in August, the KMA said.
Bolaven left 20 people dead and seven others missing, inundating thousands of homes and vehicles and cutting power supplies to 2 million houses.
“There could be significant damage to crops ahead of the Chuseok holiday, Korea’s Thanksgiving,” a KMA spokesman said.