Korea on high alert as Typhoon Khanun approaches

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety raised the disaster warning level one notch to the highest "serious" level on Tuesday afternoon in response to Typhoon Khanun.

A man watches high waves from Seogwipo, Jeju Island, on Tuesday. The government raised alerts to the highest level as Typhoon Khanun is expected to make landfall on Korea’s southern coast Thursday. [NEWS1]

Korea is bracing for Typhoon Khanun, which is forecast to make landfall on the country's southern coast Thursday and possibly pass through the Seoul metropolitan area.

Khanun, the sixth typhoon of the year, is expected to bring heavy rainfall and strong winds starting Wednesday, bringing the entire country under its influence over Thursday and Friday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) on Tuesday.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety raised the disaster warning level one notch in a four-tier system to the highest "serious" level on Tuesday afternoon in response to the forecast.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters also upgraded its emergency response posture to the highest Level 3 ahead of the typhoon's projected landfall. The government runs the headquarters in three stages to prepare for disasters and cope with their aftermath and recovery efforts.

Khanun was moving northward from waters 300 kilometers (186.4 miles) south of Japan's Kagoshima as of Tuesday morning and headed toward Kyushu, according to the two countries' weather authorities.

It is expected to approach the peninsula 220 kilometers southeast of Seogwipo in Jeju Island, at around 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to the KMA. Rainfall is expected on Jeju Island and parts of Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces starting Wednesday, spreading to the entire country by nightfall.

The typhoon is expected to pass 30 kilometers west of Korea's Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang at around 9 a.m. on Thursday, making landfall on Korea's southern coast and advancing in a northwest direction, the KMA said.

The trajectory is currently expected to be similar to that of the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway, the central inland route which runs through Korea, passing through the Chungcheong area.

If Khanun stays on course, its epicenter is likely to brush near or through the Seoul metropolitan area around 1 a.m. Friday.

The typhoon is projected to leave South Korea early Friday and pass 70 kilometers northeast of Pyongyang in North Korea around 9 a.m. Friday morning.

The typhoon's central atmospheric pressure is forecast to reach 970 hectopascals at 9 a.m. Thursday, according to the KMA, with maximum wind speeds of up to 126 kilometers per hour, or 35 meters (114 feet) per second.

The KMA warned that winds with a speed of 33 to 44 meters per second are strong enough to derail a running train.

Heavy rainfall between 80 to 600 millimeters (3.1 to 23 inches) is forecast across the country on Thursday, while the central region could see continued rainfall through Friday morning.

The expected precipitation from Wednesday to Friday in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi, or the metropolitan area, is expected to be up to 80 to 120 millimeters, while the Gangwon region could see up to 600 millimeters.

Khanun has moved in an unusual zigzag trajectory, already changing its course several times. Weather authorities had initially projected the typhoon, which hit Japan's Okinawa last week, to skirt the Korean Peninsula, then later said that it would make landfall on South Korea's southeastern coast on Thursday. The current forecasted path of Khanun has shifted westward from this previously projected trajectory.

The looming typhoon in turn forced tens of thousands of youths from over 150 countries gathered in Saemangeum, North Jeolla, for the 25th World Scout Jamboree to leave their campsite Tuesday for more secure lodgings for the remainder of their stay in Korea this week.

President Yoon Suk Yeol returned from his vacation one day early Tuesday to oversee the typhoon response and the World Scout Jamboree situation.

Yoon held an emergency videoconference meeting at his office with ministers, local government chiefs and heads of related agencies Tuesday afternoon to check on the status of preparations for the typhoon, including safety management, according to the presidential office.

During the meeting, Yoon called on the government to make "utmost efforts" to prepare for the typhoon, noting people "are very concerned about the news of the typhoon as the restoration of damages from the heavy rain has yet to be completed."

Local governments are also on high alert as they brace for possible damage from the typhoon, after struggling with heavy monsoon rains, flooding and landslides last month and the ongoing heat wave.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters earlier in the day held a meeting to discuss typhoon response measures with representatives of 16 ministries and the countries' 17 provinces and cities to assess risk areas vulnerable to flooding, landslides or other disasters.

The government also reviewed preparations to provide emergency equipment and personnel, maintenance of the drainage system and evacuation plans for residents in preparation for the typhoon.

It further checked safety management in preparation for strong winds, storms and tidal waves, including vulnerable places like coastal high-rise buildings and large port cranes, and called for inspections of disaster-prone areas such as riversides, underpasses and waterfront parking lots.

Another typhoon, Typhoon Lan, has also emerged in the Pacific and is heading toward Japan, which could possibly affect Khanun's path.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]