BUSAN, South Korea (AP) — A strong tropical storm blew ashore in South Korea on Thursday morning, dumping heavy rain and pummelling its southern regions after thousands of people were evacuated.
More than 30 centimetres (a foot) of rain has fallen already in parts of the mainland and some streets were flooded.
Khanun will pound the country with intense rains and winds while slowly moving up the Korean Peninsula for hours, with its eye brushing the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area where half of South Korea’s 51 million people live. The Korean Meteorological Administration said the storm will weaken as it moves into North Korea early Friday but the greater Seoul area would still feel its force until Friday afternoon.
Khanun made landfall around 9:30 am in the southwest near the port city of Geoje, with maximum winds blowing at 129 kph (80 mph) while moving north at 25 kph (15.5 mph). The KMA classified it as a typhoon, but the US, Japan and others measured Khanun with slightly weaker winds and classified it as a tropical storm.
In coastal Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, winds were blowing at 126 kph (78 mph) and emergency workers dressed in orange rain gear were clearing uprooted trees that collapsed over roads and responding to broken fences and other damage. A flooded motorway in the Guseo district was closed, while pedestrians struggled with umbrellas while walking through ankle-high waters in the Jung-gu district.
The storm since Wednesday dumped more than 30 centimetres (12 inches) of rain in the southern mainland cities of Changwon and Yangsan. Workers in Changwon were sealing off several motorways and streets affected by flooding and landslides and also establishing flood shields at a major seafood market.
