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| A huge wave crashes into the rocks on the coastline near Jeju Island's Seogwipo City, Sunday. Weather advisories have been issued for the southern regions as the country is bracing for potentially the most destructive typhoon in decades. Yonhap |
President Yoon calls for preemptive response
By Jung Min-ho
Korea issued weather advisories for the southern regions, Sunday, as it braces for potentially the most destructive typhoon in decades.
As the powerful Typhoon Hinnamnor is slowly moving toward the country, preliminary weather advisories have already been issued in most cities and counties in southern areas, including Gwangju, Busan and Jeju.
This tropical cyclone, the strongest one of the year so far, is expected to hit Korea on Tuesday, bringing violent winds and heavy rain. By then, it will have developed into a "super strong" typhoon, the strongest on a four-tier scale, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Super strong refers to typhoons with a maximum wind speed of at least 54 meters per second. Woo Jin-kyu, a senior analyst at the weather agency, warned that it might be one of the most destructive typhoons ever to hit the country, saying the scope of damage it leaves behind could be "unprecedented."
During a meeting held at the underground base of his building, President Yoon Suk-yeol told top-ranking officials to prepare for the storm proactively.
"It is concerning because many people are still recovering from flood damage," he said. "The government should do its best to minimize damage … The areas affected by the recent floods require particular attention."
Yoon directed the Cabinet ministers to pay greater attention to the underprivileged, particularly those who live in semi-underground homes and lower coastal plain regions who were hit hardest during the recent heavy downfall that displaced many people across the nation.
Rain has already started to fall in many parts of the country. The KMA forecast that the country will receive between 100 millimeters and 300 millimeters of rainfall through Tuesday, with Jeju's mountainous areas receiving more than 600 millimeters. So far, no casualties or property damage have been reported.
All trails in national parks across the country have been closed. Ferry operations on 31 routes, mostly in southern regions, have been suspended. Some 16,000 vessels have been ordered to take safety measures.
The state-owned Korea Electric Power Corp. has taken precautionary measures to prevent or minimize possible disruptions to its facilities and equipment, including nuclear power plants.
The South Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education said that all schools under its authority will switch to online classes on Tuesday. The education offices of Jeju and South Jeolla Province have also recommended that their schools switch to virtual classes.
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| A quay is packed with vessels at Busan Harbor, Sunday. Yonhap |
Typhoon Hinnamnor, which is approaching Okinawa on its way to Korea, already prompted the authorities in Miyakojima and Ishigaki cities to instruct more than 100,000 residents to evacuate to shelters, and airline companies have canceled about 100 flights.
During Saturday's meeting at the Government Complex Seoul, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo told officials to prepare for the worst, saying that the upcoming storm could be more destructive than 2003's Typhoon Maemi, which resulted in 131 people dead or missing and property damage worth more than 4.2 trillion won ($3 billion).
Some experts warn Hinnamnor could be even more ferocious than Typhoon Sarah, the deadliest on record. The 1959 storm left nearly 850 people dead or missing, more than 2,500 wounded and tens of thousands without homes.
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| Keelung Islet (top) is seen in the midst of strong waves along Waimushan beach in Keelung, Taiwan, Sept. 4, as Typhoon Hinnamnor approaches Taiwan's northeast. AFP-Yonhap |
Tensions are rising around Korea, which is still reeling from the torrential rains that flooded much of the capital area less than a month ago. A total of 17 areas have been designated as special disaster zones after last month's downpours that left 16 dead or missing and damaged thousands of buildings and homes, mostly in the Seoul metropolitan region.
After the disaster, which exposed the poor conditions of the country's flood management systems, President Yoon ordered a review of how to improve them, including building more rain tanks and drainage tunnels and advancing flood-prediction technologies, citing the growing challenges posed by extreme weather events in recent years.
