Typhoon Kompasu passed across northern South Korea Thursday, leaving three dead and causing the worst disruption to power and transport networks in the capital in a decade, a news report said, according to dpa. Winds of more than 100 kilometres per hour knocked down trees and utility poles and blew out windows across Seoul as the centre of the storm passed 80 kilometres north of the capital, the Yonhap News Agency said. The storm made landfall on the west coast before crossing the country and moving out to the Sea of Japan about four hours later, according to the Korean Meteorological Administration. An 80-year-old man was killed when he was hit by a roof tile in Seosan, about 60 kilometres south-west of Seoul, and a 37-year-old was killed by a falling branch on the southern outskirts of the capital, Yonhap reported. An engineer was also electrocuted while trying to fix a power outage in Mokpo, 400 kilometres south of Seoul. Kindergartens in the metropolitan area were closed, and most above-ground sections of subway lines were not running. All flights early Thursday at Seoul's Gimpo International Airport were cancelled as well as nearly 20 international flights to and from Incheon International Airport, west of the city. The worst storm to hit South Korea in 15 years damaged more than 100 houses and cut power to around 130,000 more, authorities said.
