Korea battens down the hatches as Typhoon Khanun nears

Flights were canceled, water barriers were installed and evacuation orders were issued across the southern regions on Wednesday as the nation prepared for the powerful landfall of Typhoon Khanun.

Strong waves crash onto the coastline of Seogwipo, Jeju Island, on Wednesday afternoon as Typhoon Khanun nears. [YONHAP]

Flights were canceled, water barriers were installed and evacuation orders were issued across the southern regions on Wednesday as the nation prepared for the powerful landfall of Typhoon Khanun.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) predicted Khanun to approach 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang on Thursday at around 3 a.m. as a “strong” typhoon — forceful enough to derail trains and wreck unstable houses — with a central pressure of 965 hectopascals and maximum wind speeds of 37 meters per second (82.8 miles per hour). The reach of strong winds is expected within a radius of 340 kilometers.

The typhoon will then likely barrel across the country from the southern regions toward North Korea after passing near Seoul on Thursday night, bringing heavy rainfall of several hundred millimeters along its path.

If Khanun follows the KMA’s predicted trajectory, it would be the first typhoon to land in the country since Typhoon Hinnamnor in September 2022, which left 11 people dead and one person missing.

Khanun’s impact is expected to be felt nationwide from Wednesday to Friday.

Rainfall began in South Gyeongsang and along the southern coastline of South Jeolla on Wednesday morning. The remaining southern regions, plus South Chungcheong and North Chungcheong, were expected to receive rain by 6 p.m. on the same day. Other parts of the country were anticipated to be soaked after 6 p.m.

Until Thursday, more than 400 millimeters (15.7 inches) of rain is expected to fall in the inland areas of western South Gyeongsang and North Gyeongsang, and along the Gyeongsang coastal regions. In many areas of eastern Gangwon, rainfall could exceed 600 millimeters.

The Seoul metropolitan area of Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi will likely get 100 to 200 millimeters of rain until Thursday.

One silver lining of the typhoon is that it’s anticipated to bring temperatures down by a few degrees.

The KMA forecast the nationwide low on Thursday to be 23 to 26 degrees Celsius (73.4 degrees to 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit), and the high 26 to 30 degrees. On Friday, the low will be 22 to 26 degrees, and the high 28 to 33 degrees.

Weather officials warned of floods, highlighting that wind speeds could reach up to 40 meters per second when the typhoon passes by.

When Typhoon Hinnamnor hit last year, seven people from the same apartment complex in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, drowned as they were trying to move their cars from an underground parking garage.

People across the nation scrambled to take precautionary measures on Wednesday to prevent similar tragedies.

In Masan, South Gyeongsang, and Busan, water barriers were set up near the ocean to prevent potential flooding. In Busan’s Haeundae District, which faces the South Sea, store owners stacked sacks of cement in front of their buildings and placed wooden boards over their windows.

At least 144 flights coming from and going to the southern resort island of Jeju have been canceled as of 11 a.m. on Wednesday due to strong winds. Ship operations near Jeju Island have also been suspended until the typhoon passes. Residents along the shorelines of Jeju Island were told to evacuate.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters advised public organizations and private companies to adjust their working hours.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]