N. Korea urges all-out efforts to minimise damage from typhoon Khanun

SEOUL: North Korea on Tuesday renewed its call for efforts to minimise potential damage from the approaching typhoon Khanun, saying the country's economy could be dealt a blow if it does not thoroughly prepare for it.

The typhoon is expected to head toward North Korea on Friday after landing on South Korea's southeastern coast the previous day and moving inland, according to Seoul's weather agency.

North Korea called on party officials to make all-out efforts to protect the people's lives and provide safety from a "frenzy of nature", thereby implementing the country's five-year economic policy plan that was adopted in 2021, Yonhap News Agency quoted Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, as saying in a report.

The paper also stressed efforts to minimise damage from the typhoon to the country's preparations for the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the republic's establishment, which falls on September 9.

North Korea is vulnerable to natural disasters due to its lack of infrastructure, with heavy rains, in particular, leaving thousands of people displaced in the impoverished country in the past.

Along with a typhoon alert, North Korea had also issued warnings on Monday against strong winds, heavy rains and large waves across areas of the country this week.