Typhoon Hinnamnor hits South Korea causing power outages, flooded streets
SEOUL - Thousands of South Koreans have evacuated as Typhoon Hinnamnor made landfall in the country's south, authorities said on Tuesday.
Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to continue throughout the day.
The typhoon, travelling north at about 52 kph, left the Korean peninsula at about 7.10am local time (8.10am Singapore time) through waters off the south-eastern city of Ulsan, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
Hinnamnor had made landfall near the city of Geoje at 4.50am local time on Tuesday, Yonhap news agency reported, citing KMA.
One person has been reported missing and there have been few reports of damage in an early assessment of the typhoon's aftermath.
Earlier, the weather agency had warned that the storm could result in casualties from what was expected to be the most powerful storm ever to hit the country.
Hinnamnor is expected to head north-east and pass about 400km north-west of Sapporo, Japan, at about midnight on Tuesday, KMA said.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol convened response meetings and urged officials to take precautions until the typhoon is completely gone, his spokesperson said.
“Heavy rains, strong winds and a storm surge are expected until Tuesday,” the weather agency said, warning against “very” high waves in the coastal areas.
As of Tuesday morning, 3,463 people had been evacuated, mostly from the southern regions, with one 25-year-old reported missing in Ulsan, according to the authorities.
Oil refiners, chemical operations and the nation's oldest nuclear power plant began taking precautions with the typhoon expected to hammer the resort island of Jeju and the key industrial city of Ulsan on the country's south-east coast after disrupting ports and air traffic across China and Japan.
"We're now entering a phase where we have to minimise casualties," Han Sang Un, the chief forecaster at Korea Meteorological Administration, said during a briefing on Monday, urging residents of southern coastal areas to remain indoors, rather than to continue making last-minute preparations for the storm's arrival.
"It's a massive typhoon with a 400km radius, which is big enough to cover Seoul to Busan. Most regions in Korea will experience intense rain and wind," he said.
Run rates of three reactors at the Kori Nuclear Power Plant were lowered to less than 30 per cent to prepare for the storm, while liquefied natural gas traders said they expected delays to some shipments to avoid the impact. Several major industries confirmed they plan to suspend production early on Tuesday.
South Korea's top steelmaker Posco Holdings will halt operations at its Pohang plant, LG Electronics will temporarily close plants in Gumi and Changwon Tuesday, as will Hyundai Steel and shipbuilders including Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Oil refiner SK Innovation earlier suspended crude vessels from entering its Ulsan port and is working on securing backup power at the plant, a company spokesman said. GS Caltex evacuated ships to a safety zone, and LG Chem is operating under an emergency response plan with strengthened safety monitoring of its plants in Yeosu and Ulsan.
State-owned Korea Electric Power Corp was taking measures to ensure a stable supply of electricity. Subsidiary Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power lowered output at the Kori nuclear plant preemptively to guard against any abrupt disruptions if reactors are directly impacted by Hinnamnor.
Hinnamnor has already disrupted port operations, airline services and schools across north-east Asia since developing last month. Shanghai's major container port of Yangshan briefly halted terminal operations, while South Korea's Busan and Ulsan ports have closed.
Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines cancelled more than 170 domestic flights for Monday and Tuesday, and some airline arrivals and departures in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa were also scrapped. Some schools in both South Korea and China will be closed for safety reasons. - BLOOMBERG, REUTERS
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