Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up SEOUL, Sept 5 (Reuters) – Typhoon Hinnamnor approached South Korea on Monday, forcing flight cancellations, the suspension of some business activities and school closures as the country raised its typhoon alert to its highest level. Heavy rain and strong winds lashed the southern part of the country, with the typhoon traveling north at 24 km/h (15 mph). The Hinnamnor is expected to make landfall southwest of the port city of Busan early Tuesday after reaching the waters off Jeju Island later on Monday. President Yun Suk-yeol declared a state of emergency on Monday, a day after ordering authorities to make every effort to minimize damage from the typhoon, which has been described as “very strong.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up “Very strong winds and heavy rain are expected across the country until Tuesday due to the typhoon, with very high waves expected in the coastal area along with storm surge and tsunami,” the Korea Meteorological Agency (KMA) said. According to the KMA forecast, Hinnamnor is heading northeast toward Sapporo, Japan. South Korea classifies typhoons into four categories – normal, strong, very strong, extremely strong – and Hinnamnor is expected to reach the country as a “very strong” typhoon, according to the KMA. Hurricanes under this classification have wind speeds of up to 53 meters per second. Warnings have been issued in all southern cities, including Gwangju, Busan, Daegu and Ulsan, after that on the southern island of Jeju, while the Central Disaster Management and Safety Headquarters on Sunday upgraded its typhoon alert level to the highest of four levels of. system, for the first time in five years. The city of Busan and its surrounding areas received rain throughout the weekend, with more rain in the wider country on Monday and Tuesday. No casualties have been reported so far, although more than 100 people have been evacuated and at least 11 facilities have been damaged by the floods. Steelmaker POSCO ( 005490.KS ) told Reuters it was considering suspending some of its production processes in the city of Pohang on Tuesday, while SK Innovation ( 096770.KS ), owner of top South Korean refiner SK Energy, said that he asked the carrier ships not to operate until the hurricane passed. Responding to local media reports about the planned shutdown, South Korean shipbuilders Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering ( 009540.KS ), Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) ( 042660.KS ) and Samsung Heavy Industries, DSME said a decision on suspending his work will be made later on Monday. Korean Air Lines ( 003490.KS ) and Asiana Airlines ( 020560.KS ) canceled most of their flights on Monday to Jeju Island, according to their websites, while airlines such as Air Seoul and Jin Air canceled some from their flights. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report by Joori Roh. Additional reporting by Joyce Lee and Heekyong Yang. Edited by Muralikumar Anantharaman Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
