South Korea braces for a ‘very strong’ typhoon, companies limit operations

A woman makes her way through strong winds brought by Typhoon Hinnamur in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo on September 4, 2022. Credit Kyodo/Via Reuters

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea raised its typhoon alert to its highest level on Monday as Typhoon Hinnamor approached flight cancellations, suspending some business operations and closing schools.

Heavy rain and strong winds hit the south of the country as the cyclone approached from the south at 33 km per hour (20.5 mph). Hinnamor is expected to make landfall southwest of the port city of Busan early Tuesday, after arriving in Jeju Island for the holidays on Monday.

President Yoon Seok-yeol said he would be on emergency preparedness, a day after ordering authorities to do everything they could to minimize damage from the typhoon.

“Very strong winds and heavy rain are expected across the country through Tuesday due to the typhoon, with very strong waves expected in the coastal area along with the storm and tsunami,” the Korea Meteorological Administration said.

She said Hinnamnor is on a course going northeast towards Sapporo, Japan.

South Korea classifies typhoons into four categories – normal, strong, very strong, and very strong. “Very strong” cyclones like Hinnamnor have wind speeds of up to 53 meters per second.

Warnings were issued in the southern cities of Gwangju, Busan, Daegu and Ulsan, as well as in Jeju, while the Central Disaster Control Headquarters and Safety Measures raised the typhoon alert level to the highest in its four-level system, for the first time. Once in five years.

Busan and nearby areas saw rain throughout the weekend, with more expected across the country on Monday and Tuesday.

No injuries were reported although more than 100 people were evacuated and some facilities were damaged by the floods.

Shipbuilders Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180.KS)Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) (042660.KS) Samsung Heavy Industries (010140.KS) They said they would halt operations early Tuesday.

LG Electronics spokesperson (066570.KS) It said it would halt operations on Tuesday at its Gumi production facilities that make large OLED TVs, while steelmaker POSCO (005490.KS) Yonhap News Agency said operations at its production facilities, including its furnaces, were suspended on Tuesday.

SK . innovation (096770.KS)SK Energy, the owner of South Korea’s largest refiner, said it has asked carrier ships not to operate until the typhoon has passed.

Korean Air (003490.KS) and Asiana Airlines (020560.KS) On Monday, it canceled most of its flights to Jeju Island, according to its websites, while low-cost airlines such as Air Seoul and Jin Air canceled some of their flights.

(Report: Gauri Roh). Additional reporting by Joyce Lee and Hekyung Yang. Edited by Muralikumar Anantharaman

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