Typhoon Khanun leaves over 26,000 households without power in S Korea

Battering the southern part of South Korea overnight from late Wednesday, the typhoon Khanun temporarily left some 26,000 households without electricity and caused 13 million won (US$11,420) in damages, according to the Korea Electric Power Corp. An elderly woman was killed and hundreds of flights were grounded as Typhoon Khanun veered north to pass through South Korea's capital city of Seoul on Thursday. The typhoon had deposited 97.5 millimeters of rain in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, 53.4 millimeters in Jeju and 37.5 millimeters in Seoul, the weather office said. To control the water level, North Korea has been discharging water from its Hwangang Dam, located near the border with the South, since Wednesday noon, prompting South Korean campers to evacuate. No damages from the water release have been reported so far, according to (Yonhap) news agency. Some schools in Gyeonggi Province also delayed the start of classes by up to one hour, the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education said. Khanun, the first tropical storm of the year spawned in the West Pacific, was headed northeast from 20 kilometers off the country's western city of Seosan toward Seoul, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Khanun, meaning "jack fruit" in Thai, is expected to reach North Korea and move to its eastern coast, according to the weather agency. From Wednesday, some 90 flights scheduled for Jeju and the southern city of Pohang, as well as 115 ferry trips for the southern islands were canceled, according to transportation officials.