SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered chiefs of local governments and ministers Thursday to maintain an emergency management stance as typhoon Soulik was set to make landfall on the Korean Peninsula.
Moon held a teleconference with governors of local governments and cabinet members at the crisis management center of the presidential Blue House, saying all public officers should maintain the emergency management stance and make all-out efforts to minimize possible damages from the typhoon.
Moon said the safety and lives of people should be prioritized, instructing all public officers to get vigilant until the typhoon dissipates completely.
He ordered the interior ministry to review all measures beforehand to support the possibly damaged areas.
Soulik battered the country's southern resort island of Jeju Wednesday, inflicting damages on people in the island. A South Korean woman in her early 20s went missing as she was swept away by sea waves.
Heavy rains pounding the island ranged from 99.9 mm to 746 mm as of 10 a.m. local time (0100 GMT). It also brought a strong wind at a speed of about 30 meters per second.
The tropical storm, which has a 340 km wind radius, was heading north. It was expected to pass through the Korean Peninsula Friday into the East Sea, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
Hundreds of flights at nine key airports were canceled, with major ports closing down temporarily. Most of schools closed or shortened school hours for the typhoon.
The typhoon was forecast to pass through Mount Kumgang in the east coast of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), where the second session of reunions of Korean families, separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, is scheduled to be held from Friday to Sunday.
Moon ordered the ministers to pay special attentions to the safety of the separated families, mostly in their 80s or older, saying that if necessary, the reunions should be rescheduled rapidly.
