Typhoon Soulik expected to hit Korean Peninsula

Typhoon Soulik is approaching the Korean Peninsula. The strong, medium-sized typhoon is expected to pass across the peninsula between Wednesday and Friday. Our Han Soo-ah has more details. The 19th typhoon of the season is on course to hit the Korean Peninsula. It will be the first typhoon in six years to directly pass across the peninsula. The whole country is under the direct influence of the typhoon, and heavy rains, large waves, and strong winds are expected.According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the typhoon, which formed near Guam in the middle of last week, is approaching Jeju Island. It will bring heavy rains and strong winds to Jeju Island tomorrow night, and will move up toward Mokpo on Thursday morning. The entire nation will be soaked by rain on Thursday and Friday. From Wednesday to Thursday, Jeju Island is forecast to get more that 50 millimeters of rain per hour. Some other areas will receive more than 400 millimeters of rainfall in total. As the wind speed is projected to be almost 89 miles per hour, Soulik may cause as much damage as Typhoon Sanba which directly hit the country in 2012, leaving two dead and two injured and flooding hundreds of homes and buildings. Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon at a cabinet meeting this morning urged related authorities and ministries to prepare for the damage, including human casualties. The Prime Minister emphasized the safety of students who are going back to school after vacation. He was also concerned about farmers who have already suffered from the recent heatwave and could see more damage from the typhoon. However depending on the atmospheric conditions in the North Pacific, there is also a possibility of the typhoon heading out into the West Sea and bypassing the Korean Peninsula.Han Soo-ah, Arirang News.