Typhoon kills three in South Korea before moving to North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea - One of the most powerful typhoons to ever hit South Korea swept along the country's coast on Saturday, toppling trees, grounding planes and causing at least three deaths before moving on to North Korea.

Typhoon Lingling knocked out power to more than 161,000 homes across South Korea, including on the southern island of Jeju, which was lashed by the storm overnight, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.

After hitting Jeju, the storm remained offshore as it moved up South Korea's west coast on Saturday morning before making landfall in North Korea in the afternoon.

A 75-year-old woman in the central South Korean town of Boryeong was killed after strong winds blew her off her feet and crashed her into a wall 30 meters (yards) away, the ministry said. A 39-year-old was killed in the western city of Incheon after being crushed by a collapsed wall at a hospital parking lot, while a 61-year-old Chinese national died in the border town of Paju after being hit by a blown-off roof tile.

South Korea's government said at least 15 people were being treated for injuries, including an elderly couple from Boryeong who were injured after steel scaffolding collapsed on their home.

The safety ministry said the storm was moving north at 60 kilometers (37 miles) per hour as of 10 p.m. Saturday while passing over North Korea. It had shrunk to a mid-strength typhoon with winds up to 29 meters (32 yards) per second, the ministry said.

Lingling packed winds of 196 kilometers (122 miles) per hour at around 6:30 a.m. on South Korea's southern coast, making the typhoon the fifth strongest to hit the country since 1959, according to South Korea's weather agency.

Residents in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang were seen using umbrellas to shield themselves from wind and rain while struggling to walk through wet streets.

In South Korea, the storm toppled hundreds of trees and streetlamps, blew signboards off buildings and damaged traffic signs across the mainland and Jeju. At least 18 homes were flooded and 35 vessels were capsized or damaged while being evacuated at ports, and more than 100 schools were damaged, the safety ministry said. More than 200 flights were grounded at airports nationwide, while 38 people were forced to evacuate from their flooded homes in Gwangju, a city near Seoul.

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