Korea's southern regions on alert for typhoon

SEOUL. KAZINFORM South Korea's southern regions, already battered by seasonal downpours, face a fresh threat from an approaching typhoon, which is forecast to make landfall this weekend, Yonhap reports.

Heavy rain alerts have alreadybeen issued for many parts of Jeju Island and southern provinces as of Fridaymorning with precipitation ranged from 60 millimeters to 130 millimeters.

The Korea MeteorologicalAdministration (KMA) warned torrential rain may continue through Saturday whenthe regions are expected to be affected by Typhoon Danas.

«The typhoon, thoughsmall in scale, can bring extreme and unusual rainfall to southern regions andJeju Island,» a KMA official said. «Full-fledgedpreparedness is needed.»

As of 3 a.m. Friday, theseason's fifth typhoon was traveling north about 360 kilometers northeast ofTaipei at a speed of 22 kph, with an atmospheric pressure of 990 hectopascalsat its center, according to the national weather agency.

The storm strengthened passingover relatively warm waters near Taiwan and carries a huge amount of tropicalwater vapor, threatening to unleash heavy rain when it arrives in the country'ssouthern parts, the official added.

Danas is predicted to reachwaters some 270 kilometers southwest of Seogwipo, Jeju Island, at around 9 p.m.on Friday.

It is likely to make landfallin the southern part of the country Saturday morning before it exits thepeninsula toward the East Sea the following morning, the KMA said.