Anchor: Jeju Island and South Jeolla Province are witnessing heavy rains and strong winds as Typhoon Soulik travels north from waters off Jeju. A typhoon warning has been issued for Jeju, the coasts along South Jeolla Province and waters off the country's southern coast.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more.

Report: The Korea Meteorological Administration said Thursday that Typhoon Soulik is moving very slowly northward at four kilometers per hour from waters west of Jeju Island.

The weather agency forecast Soulik will land on the coast of North Jeolla Province at around midnight before passing through the central region and head toward the East Sea on Friday afternoon.

As a result, heavy rains and strong winds are expected to pound the nation through Friday.

Strong winds gusting at up to 50 meters per second are expected to hit Jeju and the southern coast, while the rest of the country is set to see winds blowing at a maximum of 40 meters per second.

Up to 400 millimeters of precipitation is forecast for South Jeolla Province’s coastal region and areas near Mount Jiri, while Jeju’s mountainous areas and eastern parts of Gangwon Province are set to see around 300 millimeters of rain.

The central region, North Jeolla Province and the northern parts of North Gyeongsang Province will get between 50 and 250 millimeters of rain.

On Jeju, a tourist in her 20s remains missing after being swept away by waves. The typhoon also caused power outages for some six-thousand households on the island.

Soulik also grounded over 110 ferries on 80 routes and caused flights to be cancelled at nine airports across the nation.

More than one-thousand-500 schools will close nationwide on Friday to ensure the safety of students, including all preschool, elementary and middle schools in Seoul and Incheon.

Meanwhile, President Moon Jae-in on Thursday chaired an emergency meeting and ordered officials to mobilize all their crisis management capacity to minimize damage from the typhoon.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.