(2nd LD) Typhoon Maysak picking up speed as it approaches S. Korea

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES details, photos throughout)

SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- Typhoon Maysak was moving faster toward South Korea on Wednesday, keeping the country on alert over what was forecast to be one of the most powerful typhoons in years.

The typhoon was moving at 19 kph at seas some 310 kilometers south of Seogwipo in Jeju as of 9 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Its maximum wind speed was 45 meters per second.

Maysak was forecast to pick up speed in the evening to move at 31 kph as it approaches the country and lands on the southern coastal area in South Gyeongsang Province in the early hours of Thursday.

The agency said Tuesday that Maysak may be more powerful than Typhoon Bavi that hit the country last week and was expected to follow a similar route as Typhoon Maemi that caused the second-highest property damage ever recorded in the country in 2003.

The weather agency forecast the tropical storm would most affect the country's southern and eastern coastal areas while pouring heavy rains and bringing strong winds in the inner land area as well.

Heavy rain was expected in the areas, with rain of more than 400 mm soaking Jeju and parts of the country's eastern coastal regions, such as Gangwon and North and South Gyeongsang provinces.

Maximum wind speed was forecast at up to 50 mps in Jeju and the eastern coastal areas and 40 mps in Gangwon and the southern and eastern inner land regions. A wind speed of 40 mps can topple big rocks and vehicles in operation.

With the typhoon approaching the country, a typhoon advisory has been placed in seas surrounding Jeju. Strong winds measuring 28 mps hit areas in Jeju and the southern coastal region, with heavy rain accompanied by lightning and thunder observed in Gyeongsang.

The advisory was expected to expand to across the country, including the greater Seoul area, on early Thursday.

More than 300 domestic flights, including 159 scheduled to depart from Jeju, have been canceled at airports across the country as of 10:30 a.m., according to Korea Airports Corp.

In Jeju, some 2,000 ships have evacuated to ports to brace themselves for the storm. The coast guard has designated parts of seas south and east of the peninsula as danger zones and restricted ships from operating on affected routes.

mlee@yna.co.kr
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