South Korea: The most powerful storm in its history is expected to make landfall in South Korea early Tuesday, but the country's weather agency has issued a warning that it could have fatal consequences.
Super Typhoon Hinamore is expected to hit the tourist island of Jeju and the important industrial city of Ulsan on the country's southeast coast after disrupting ports and air traffic in China and Japan.
As a result, businesses ranging from oil refineries to chemical operations to the nation's oldest nuclear power plant have begun to exercise caution.
Chief forecaster Han Sang-un of the Korea Meteorological Administration urged residents of southern coastal areas to stay indoors rather than perform maintenance, to prepare for the storm's arrival during a briefing on Monday. "We are now entering a phase where we have to reduce casualties," Han Sang-un said.
With a radius of 400 km (248.5 mi), this giant typhoon is large enough to cover Seoul and Busan. Intense rain and wind will be present over most of Korea, he predicted.
According to the administration, the typhoon is most likely to make landfall over Jeju at around 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday and into southern coastal cities at around 7 p.m.
To prepare for the storm, the run rates of three reactors at the Kori Nuclear Power Plant were reduced by 30%, and traders of liquefied natural gas warned that some shipments could be delayed.
South Korea's largest oil refiner, SK Innovation Co., has blocked crude ships from entering its Ulsan port and is attempting to secure backup power supplies to the facility, according to a company spokesperson.
LG Chem Ltd. is operating under an emergency response plan with robust safety monitoring of its plants in Yeosu and Ulsan, and GS Caltex Corp. has evacuated the ships to a safety zone.
A steady supply of electricity was being ensured by the state-owned Korea Electric Power Corporation. In advance of any sudden disruption, the subsidiary Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company reduced production at the Kori Nuclear Plant to prepare for the possibility that the reactors could be directly affected by Hinamor.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, by the time of noon Seoul, the storm was about 300 kilometers south-southwest of Jeju's coast and was moving to the north-northeast at about 17 kilometers per hour.
It is expected to be even more devastating in South Korea than Typhoon Sara in 1959. According to the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Himanor is currently gushing winds of about 127 mph to 155 mph.
The country's Finance Minister Chu Kyung-ho said there were concerns that inclement weather could have an impact on consumer prices at a time when inflation is still high. President Yoon Suk-yol reaffirmed that the government would remain vigilant to protect the lives and safety of citizens.
Since its development last month, Hinmanor has already intervened in ports, airlines and educational institutions in Asia. Yangshan, a major container port in Shanghai, was getting ready to resume terminal operations after an earlier halt, while ports in Busan and Ulsan, South Korea, have closed.
More than 170 domestic flights were canceled for Monday and Tuesday by Korean Air Lines Company and Asiana Airlines Inc., and some airlines' arrivals and departures in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa were also cancelled. For security reasons, some schools in both China and South Korea will remain closed.
The companies said on Monday that several shipbuilders, including Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., were debating whether to halt production.
Posco Holdings Inc, South Korea's largest steel maker, is considering a partial closure of its plant in Pohang.
About 200 people were told to seek shelter on Monday in Busan, the country's second-largest city, and shops in Marine City, in the Honde Beach neighborhood, were instructed to temporarily close.
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