Tag: Typhoon Hinnamnor

Death in the basement

South Korea saw at least 11 deaths in  the basement over the last 30 days. September 8, 2022.

By Foong Pek Yee
Seven people  including a teenager died in a basement carpark submerged in flood water when Typhoon Hinnamnor hit South Korea,  bringing along heavy rain on Tuesday (Sept 6,  2022)
According to The Korean Herald,  the teenager had accompanied his mother to the carpark.
His mother, in her early 50s, is one of the  two people who survived  when they were rescued from the flooded carpark.
The tragedy took place in an apartment block in Pohang, about 270km south-east of Seoul when  Typhoon Hinnamnor hit  South Korea, reports The Korean Herald on September 7.
It says rescuers pulled out nine people from the flooded carpark – two alive while seven others who were rescued in a state of cardiac arrest were pronounced dead later.
According to The Korean Herald the nine had gone to the basement carpark to move their cars amid heavy downpour brought on by the super typhoon.
As of  Sept 7, the Central Disaster Safety Relief Headquarters says Typhoon Hinnamnor saw 11 dead, one missing and three injured.
Meanwhile, the big flood in  Seoul on August 8  saw four people,  including a family of three in Sillim-dong, perished  in their  semi-basement  home or banjiha in Korean.
Another person was also found dead in a flooded banjiha in the neighbourhood on the same day.
About 95% of South Korea’s 379,605 basement or semi-basement homes can be found in Seoul, reports The Korean Herald quoting Statistics.
In the wake of the  tragedies, Seoul announced that it would phase out all forms of underground residences – home to about five percent of all families in the city-  in the next two decades.

 

Run-up to Mid- Autumn festival in South Korea

 Food prices have gone up by an average of 28% ,
 and a super typhoon on the way.
Sept 3, 2022
By Foong Pek Yee
Ahead of Chuseok coming Saturday, South Koreans are set for a simple celebration.
Soaring food prices saw Chuseok or Mid -Autumn festival sales all time low since the Asian financial crisis 25 years ago.
 The  four-day holiday to thank ancestors for a bountiful harvest is the second biggest festival after Seollah (South Korean lunar new year).
By tradition, many South Koreans from Seoul with a population of about 10 million, will return to their hometown to celebrate Chuseok with their elders.
 But Typhoon Hinnamnor, along with strong winds and heavy rain,  and  is expected to hit the country in the next two days, is a cause for concern.
The Korean Herald reported yesterday that the typhoon  is set to hit the southern part of the country including Jeju Island.
Quoting the state weather agency, it said the typhoon’s trajectory however will only become clearer by tomorrow.
Update Sept 4 evening: Arirang News reported that Typhoon Hinnamnor is due to arrive in South Korea by Tuesday morning (Sept 6), quoting the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
 
It also reported on the cancellation of  Monday flights in and out of Busan and  Jeju Island.
Jeju Island, and the Jeolla and Gyeongsang Provinces are put on high alert.
The oncoming typhoon also saw public hiking trails in South Korea closed to the general public  until further notice.
Arirang News reported yesterday that people are spending less for  Chuseok this year, with prices of major food items like vegetables up by almost 28% from a year earlier.
And the price for napa cabbage used to make kimchi has shot up by about 80%.
Sales for must have food items for Chuseok memorial tables also took a plunge.
Arirang News quoted a trader saying the price for dried fish for the memorial tables has went up by 500 won, and traditional sweets that used to cost 5,000 won are now 6,000 won.
Ahead of Chuseok and to ease the burden on the people, Arirang News said the government will release about 4,000 tons of goods in high demand, including cabbage and garlic from its  stockpile.
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