Approaching Typhoon Similar to 2002’s

Typhoon Ewiniar is moving northward toward the Korean Peninsula, causing a lot of damages. Seven people were killed or went missing and landslides occurred as it heavily rained yesterday in the southern region. Precautions are expected, as it will likely rain severely nationwide today together with high wind.

Ewiniar was moving at a rapid pace on the sea 450 kilometers south of Seogwipo, Jeju Island as of 3:00 p.m. on July 9, and is expected to approach on the West Sea this afternoon. Accordingly, the Korean Meteorological Administration is going to issue typhoon warnings to most regions nationwide, including South Gyeongsang and South Jeolla province this morning, and Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and Choongcheong province this afternoon, starting with Jeju at night on July 9.

In Choongcheong, Youngnam, and the south coast area, where a torrential rain warning was issued, swift currents and traffic accidents caused severe casualties, and houses and roads were flooded amid severe downpours.

Ewiniar, the first typhoon in Korean Peninsula this year, is a medium-sized typhoon with a central air pressure of 960 hectopascals (hPa). It is comparable to Typhoon Rusa that left damage amount of five trillion won in 2002.

Meanwhile, the Central Disaster Prevention Office issued a warning (Yellow) nationwide as of midday on July 9, the second grade among four grades of disaster warnings.

gaea@donga.com