South Korea's warning to industrial sector as Typhoon Khanun approaches

South Korea’s government urged its industrial sector to be prepared for damages from Typhoon Khanun as the storm approaches the nation’s shores this week.

The vice minister of industry held a meeting Tuesday with heads of the nation’s 13 industrial complexes, and instructed them to be vigilant in preparing for the typhoon. The storm will bring severe rain and wind as it moves through the country, the Korea Meteorological Administration said in a briefing.

The typhoon, currently sweeping across Japan’s southern islands with winds reaching up to 126 kilometers per hour, is expected to reach waters near Jeju Island late Wednesday. The current forecast shows the storm traveling along the western coast, potentially becoming a threat to the nation’s capital, Seoul.

Khanun, a Thai name for a tropical fruit, is also expected to hit North Korea early Friday, raising the possibility it could wipe out crops and batter farmland in the country that battles chronic food shortages. Still, there’s a high possibility the storm could change track, the weather bureau said.

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South Korea is bracing for Khanun less than a year after Super Typhoon Hinnamnor disrupted production at major companies including Posco Holdings Inc., the country’s top steelmaker. That storm passed through the southeast of the country near Busan in early September.

State-run utility Korea Electric Power Corp. said it has inspected facilities to ensure a stable supply of electricity, and Posco said it has completed building a rain-screen wall that extends almost 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) around its Pohang plant.

South Korea has been battered by extreme weather in recent months, from flooding to scorching heat. In July, a severe downpour left dozens of people dead from flooding and landslides. Last week, the government raised its heat wave warning to the highest level for the first time in four years, with some parts of the nation experiencing temperatures above 38C (100F).

A spokesperson for Japan Airlines Co. said 132 flights departing and arriving mainly from Kyushu on Tuesday have been canceled, affecting more than 8,000 people. ANA Holdings Inc. said 36 flights departing and arriving from Miyazaki and Kagoshima in Kyushu have been canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday, affecting roughly 3,500 customers.

Kyushu Railway Co. said trains may be delayed or suspended, and West Japan Railway Co. said it may halt bullet train operations between Osaka and Kyushu from Wednesday evening to Thursday morning.