Typhoon Rammasun Approaches Korea

As Typhoon Rammasun, churned northward toward the peninsula, the nation is expected to be in the range of the fifth of its kind in this season starting from today

The Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA) said yesterday that the storm was observed about 650 km south-southwest of Seogwipo in Cheju Island as of 3 p.m., and moving toward north-northwest at a speed of 15km per hour.

The powerful typhoon with the central pressure of 945hPa carries wind of up to 44m per second. It is expected to arrive at waters some 270km southwest of Cheju by 3 pm today extending its reach to a radius of 250km.

An official at KMA said, "The typhoon`s direction has yet to be clarified but given the current direction, it is expected to head north, reaching some 320 km southwest of Kunsan, North Cholla Province, around 9 a.m. tomorrow

He added, "Rammasun with a radius of 740 km will affect the entire peninsula regardless of its direction. People are advised to take extra caution to prevent damage from the typhoon."

The storm is predicted to dump about 50-70mm of rain on Cheju by today, with some areas receiving up to 120 mm of precipitation. The southern and central region is expected to see 30-80 mm and 20-40 mm of rain respectively for today.

The rain accompanied by Rammasun is forecast to continue until Sunday.

A typhoon advisory was issued on Cheju Province as of 3 pm yesterday, forcing thousands of vessels shuttling Cheju and other regions to remain docked.

Rammasun and the 6th typhoon Chataan developed on the sea off Guam grounded or delayed local and international flights that piled between Cheju and Guam, Saipan and Hongkong.

Ho-Gab Lee Jae-Young Im gdt@donga.com jy788@donga.com