Authorities were on alert Sunday as another powerful typhoon approached South Korea, although the nation’s meteorological office forecast it would not make landfall here.

The southern island of Jeju is forecast to fall under the influence of Typhoon Haishen from Sunday night through Monday morning. By 9 a.m. Monday, it will be just 80 kilometers east of Busan, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.

Haishen, on course to pass through Japan later Sunday, is categorized as a “very strong” typhoon with a maximum wind speed of 45 meters per second and an atmospheric pressure of 945 hectopascals at its center. As of 4 p.m. Sunday, it was 210 kilometers southwest of Kagoshima, Japan, advancing at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour.

The KMA expects the 10th typhoon of this year to continue heading north across the East Sea.

Its expected route is less worrisome than the KMA’s original forecast, which said the typhoon would travel directly up the country and reach just 80 kilometers east of Seoul.

While it is expected to gradually weaken into a “strong” typhoon by the time it passes near Busan, authorities are preparing to prevent damage and casualties from the heavy rains and strong winds that Haishen is forecast to bring across the country throughout Monday.

The weather agency called on officials to thoroughly prepare for possible rain and wind damage. High waves are expected on Jeju Island and in the southern and eastern coastal regions of the peninsula. Authorities also advised district governments to consider adjusting work and school hours.

The Korea Forest Service raised its landslide alert to its highest level, “serious,” for Busan, Ulsan, Jeju Island and South Gyeongsang, North Gyeongsang, Gangwon and South Jeolla provinces.

The typhoon is especially worrying for those regions as they incurred severe property damage from Typhoon Maysak just days earlier and have yet to fully recover.

The ninth typhoon of the year left two people dead and three others injured during the time Korea was under its influence, less than 24 hours. The country experienced power outages and saw homes and farmland damaged.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, Typhoon Maysak caused more than 120,000 households, many on Jeju Island or in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, to suffer power outages. More than 850 counts of property damage were reported, with 563 of them concerning private property.

By Ko Jun-tae (ko.juntae@heraldcorp.com)