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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Hundreds of flights were canceled in South Korea while North Korea’s leader expressed concern about a potential loss of lives and crops as the countries braced for a fast-approaching typhoon forecast as one of the strongest to hit their peninsula this year.
Demonstrating a maximum wind speed of 162 kilometers (100 miles) per hour, Typhoon Bavi was already influencing South Korea’s southern resort island of Jeju on Wednesday afternoon, toppling trees, ripping off signboards and knocking down at least one traffic sign as it passed over waters off the island’s western shores. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.
South Korea’s weather agency said the typhoon will start to affect the mainland at night before making landfall in western North Korea early Thursday. The agency warned of possible “severe damages” caused by “very strong winds and heavy rainfall.”
More than 330 domestic flights in and out of Jeju were canceled as of Wednesday morning. South Korean authorities were also shutting down public parks and evacuating hundreds of fishing boats and other vessels, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said that during a ruling party meeting on Tuesday, the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, called for thorough preparations to minimize casualties and damage from the typhoon. The storm comes weeks after torrential rains caused flooding and massive damage to homes and crops in North Korea, inflicting further pain to an economy ravaged by U.S.-led sanctions over the North’s nuclear weapons and border closures amid the pandemic.
KCNA said earlier that a typhoon warning was issued in most areas of the country, with officials evacuating fishing boats and applying protective measures on buildings, farms and railroads.