As 2026 typhoons are being discussed one after another, you may be wondering whether a typhoon is currently heading toward South Korea.
However, the number of typhoons forming and whether they affect South Korea must be considered separately.
The current focus, Typhoon No. 23 Bang-Lang, has been forecast over the distant waters east of Japan, and its impact on South Korea cannot yet be described as a confirmed outcome.
3-line summary
1. Bang-Lang is forecast over the distant waters east of Japan
2. Its central pressure is forecast at 980hPa at 3 a.m. on the 30th
3. South Korean impact cannot be determined from the number of storms alone
No. 23 Bang-Lang, 2,880km (2880km) east of Tokyo, Japan, at 3 a.m. on the 30th
In its 4:30 p.m. announcement on the 29th, the Korea Meteorological Administration forecast that Typhoon No. 23 Bang-Lang (BANG-LANG) would approach the waters approximately 2,880km east of Tokyo, Japan at 3 a.m. on the 30th. Bang-Lang is a name submitted by Vietnam and is said to refer to a type of flower.
At that point, the forecast central pressure was 980hPa, the maximum wind speed was 29m per second, and the storm was moving northward. The possibility that it would transform into an extratropical low-pressure system within 72 hours was also presented. This reflected the projected track and development at the time and did not confirm its actual subsequent movement.
“3 a.m. on the 30th” is the forecast time at which Bang-Lang was expected to approach those waters. It does not mean that it had already passed that location or that it would affect South Korea at that time. The Korea Meteorological Administration announcement reported by the Korean Lecturer Newspaper stated that the next information was scheduled to be released around 10:30 p.m. on the 29th.
The criteria for calling a system a typhoon also vary according to usage. The World Meteorological Organization classifies a tropical cyclone as a typhoon when its maximum wind speed near the center is 33m per second or higher. In South Korea and Japan, by contrast, all tropical cyclones with maximum wind speeds of 17m per second or higher are called typhoons. Therefore, even when the number and name are the same, the intensity wording and classification criteria in the article must be considered together.
No. 22 Etau and Bang-Lang: A Track Does Not Automatically Mean a Domestic Impact
Economy Talk News forecast that Typhoon No. 22 Etau (ETAU) would move north along the waters northeast of Guam, pass through the waters east of Tokyo, Japan, and weaken into a tropical depression around September 2. The same report expected Bang-Lang to likewise move north along the waters east of Tokyo, Japan, before transforming into an extratropical low-pressure system.
At the time of reporting, the projected tracks of the two typhoons lay over the distant waters near Guam and east of Japan. The report expected neither typhoon to have a significant effect on South Korea, but this was a forecast. It must be distinguished from a confirmed result that there was no domestic impact.
Typhoon No. 18 Saudel (SAUDEL) was reported to make landfall on land north of Fuzhou, China, before transforming into a tropical depression. Economy Talk News reported that heavy rain was expected in several areas, including Zhejiang and Fujian in China, and that train operations on some railway sections in Zhejiang Province had been temporarily suspended. This is an example showing that even typhoons active during the same period can have different actual locations and impacts.
The articles presented Krovan, Dujuan, Surigae, and Choi-wan as the names for Typhoons No. 24 through No. 27. However, these were merely the order of names to be assigned to future typhoons; there was no announcement confirming their formation, tracks, or impact on South Korea.
The Difference Shown by the Annual Average of 3.1 and Damage Records
The Korean Lecturer Newspaper introduced that approximately 30 typhoons form each year on average, while an annual average of 3.1 typhoons have at least an indirect effect on South Korea. There is a large difference between the total number that form and the number that affect South Korea.
According to the same material, approximately 91% of typhoons that affected South Korea were concentrated between July and September. However, the formation of a typhoon in a particular month does not necessarily mean that it affected South Korea. Six typhoons affected the country in 1976, while 1989 and 2001 were years in which it was not affected at all.
The damage records more clearly show the importance of the actual track and the accompanying wind and rain. Typhoon Rusa (Rusa) in 2002 was introduced as the typhoon that caused the greatest property damage, and Gangneung recorded 871mm of rainfall in a single day on August 31 of that year. Typhoon Maemi (Maemi) in 2003 was recorded as causing the second-largest property damage.
Names of typhoons that cause major damage are not reused and are replaced with different names. According to the material, Rusa and Maemi were not used afterward, while the name Nabi (Nabi) submitted by South Korea was replaced with Doksuri after causing casualties in Japan in 2005. This is why current risk cannot be assessed merely from the familiarity of a name or the fact that its number is high.
Therefore, the information currently confirmed about Bang-Lang is its approach over the distant waters east of Japan, the forecast that it will move north, and the possibility that it will transform into an extratropical low-pressure system. Its impact on South Korea cannot be confirmed from this information alone. The number of typhoons forming in 2026 and the actual areas affected by each typhoon must be considered separately.
References
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