There's only one place to start this lunchtime and that's Typhoon Soulik.
It's well over 300 kilometers in radius, and within it, wind speeds are clocking in at over one-hundred forty kilometers an hour.... so this really is a beast of a storm for this part of the world.... and it's set for a direct hit on South Korea.
Our Choi Si-young is in Mokpo,... one of the cities that's in the typhoon's path.
Si-young, we've been connecting with you all morning,... and it's clear the wind and rain is getting more and more intense down there...
That's right, Jiyoon.
As we speak, the eye of Typhoon Soulik is in waters off the southern coast of Korea, but the typhoon's strength is becoming more and more visible here.
You can feel the wind and rain getting stronger by the minute.
Local residents say they have tied their boats to the dock for the incoming typhoon.
On Wednesday, two tourists on Jeju Island -- a man and a woman -- were swept away by a storm surge caused by the typhoon's winds.
The man managed to swim back safely, but the woman is still unaccounted for.
On the same day, according to the Jeju unit of the Korea Electric Power Corporation, the power went out in more than 15-hundred households.
Traffic lights on the island also stopped working, and some sea walls have also been damaged by high waves.
And Siyoung, could you give us more updates on ship and flight services?
" Yes, Jiyoon.
We have many ferries and flights suspended temporarily for the typhoon.
And in the affected regions, schools have also been shut down"
All ferries out of Jeollanam-do Province are suspended,... and flights from Jeju International Airport are still suspended as of now.
Since about 5 p.m. Wednesday, all flights have been cancelled at the airport.
About a total of 600 flights have been cancelled.
Also, all ferries out of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province to Ulleungdo Island are also suspended
In Jeollanam-do Province, every school in the region from kindergarten to high school --- roughly fourteen hundred schools --- have been closed for the day due to the typhoon.
Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has also announced that kindergartens, elementary schools, and middle schools will be shut on Friday.
The education ministry on Wednesday said close to fifteen hundred schools are shutting down on Thursday.
The typhoon is expected to hit Chungcheongnam-do Province at midnight, and reach Seoul by Friday morning.
I will keep you posted throughout the day. Back to you, Jiyoon.
