SEOUL– President Yoon Suk-yeol will stay up all night at his office Monday to oversee the government’s response to super Typhoon Hinnamnor, a senior presidential official said, amid concern it could become the most powerful storm ever to hit the country.
“As Hinnamnor is expected to land on the Korean Peninsula early tomorrow, President Yoon will stay at the presidential office today and tomorrow to receive a comprehensive report on the situation and check the situation to protect the lives and safety of the people,” Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential secretary for public affairs, told reporters.
The presidential office is also on 24-hour emergency mode to deploy all measures in minimizing damage from the typhoon, Kim said.
Earlier in the day, Yoon told reporters that, “The government will not lower its guard, and do its best for the lives and safety of the people.” Yoon told reporters as he arrived for work.
Wearing a green civil defense uniform, Yoon said, “Today, I think that I will be on emergency standby.”
Yoon instructed relevant authorities to “take actions first and report later” to minimize damage.
Separately, Yoon held a weekly meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo earlier in the day.
During the meeting, Yoon asked the government to put in all efforts to minimize damage from the typhoon, saying “there should be no casualties,” according to the prime minister’s office.
The typhoon, the 11th this year, is forecast to edge closest to the southern island of Jeju around 1 a.m. Tuesday and reach the southern coastal region of South Gyeongsang Province around 7 a.m. Tuesday, weather officials said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency