Now, we have an extra update on Typhoon Soulik.
On its current path,... it's forecast to be the first typhoon to cross directly over the country in years.
The last time a similar storm -- Typhoon Kompasu -- did that in 2010.... five people were killed and there was widespread damage,... so stay safe when this storm makes landfall.
Our Seo Eun-kyung has the details.
Korea is expected to be hit directly by a typhoon for the first time in six years starting Wednesday. The last typhoon that made landfall on the Korean peninsula was Sanba in 2012.
The 19th typhoon of the season, Soulik, is heading northwards after it was formed in waters northwest off Guam's coast last week.
Although Soulik has been categorized to the equivalent of a category 2 hurricane, it stands out from previous tropical storms as it features an enormous eye. A typical cyclone eye is around a few dozen kilometers wide. However, typhoon Soulik's eye is more than 100 kilometers wide, indicating that it would take several days for the Korean peninsula to get out of the direct influence of the storm.
"Typhoons usually can't pass over Korea when the North Pacific anticyclone surrounds the peninsula. Korea has been free from typhoons directly influencing the nation because the North Pacific anticyclone has been rotating over the peninsula."
Korean authorities are on high alert and are bracing for potential damage.
Typhoon Soulik is forecast to be similar to Kompasu in 2010, which claimed five lives and caused widespread damage in Seoul as well as mountainous and coastal areas.
The rare typhoon has been sweeping in towards southern Japan, and is now heading north nearing Korea's Jeju Island.
Soulik is forecast to hit the city of Gwangju on Thursday afternoon and move towards Gangwon-do province by Friday afternoon, bringing heavy rainfall and strong wind gusts.
SEO Eun-kyung, Arirang News
