[Anchor]

While most of the country is battling a heatwave, Jeju Island has been hit by typhoon-level strong winds. More than 100 flights were canceled in the morning alone, leaving tourists who visited the island for the weekend stranded and frustrated.

JIBS reporter Kim Jae-yeon has the details.

[Reporter]

The airport departure hall is packed with no room to move.

This is due to a series of flight cancellations caused by strong winds blowing at speeds of over 20 meters per second.

Long queues stretching dozens of meters have formed in front of airline counters, and some passengers have even settled on the floor to wait.

As flight cancellations piled up due to the strong winds hitting Jeju, the airport terminal became heavily congested with stranded passengers.

[Kim Seon-mi / Seongdong-gu, Seoul: Since tomorrow is a weekday, I have to go to work and my children need to go to kindergarten. It is frustrating because our schedule has been severely disrupted.]

[Shin Sang-seop / Seo-gu, Incheon: There is no way to leave without ships or planes. So, I end up having to stay on Jeju Island, but I don't think I can find accommodation, and I have already returned my rental car, so I am quite panicked.]

With wind shear and strong wind warnings issued simultaneously, more than 100 flights were canceled in the morning alone, and some planes were forced to turn back without landing in Jeju.

As the number of passengers with reservations on canceled flights exceeded 3,000, a "caution" level alert for supporting stranded travelers was issued.

High seas warnings were also issued due to strong winds and high waves, leading to the suspension of some ferry operations.

Damage to facilities was also reported.

Strong winds caused trees to fall and road structures to be uprooted, leading to about 30 safety measures taken across the island.

The Korea Meteorological Administration advised that very strong winds of around 20 meters per second are expected to continue for the time being, and urged the public to check flight information in advance and remain cautious about potential damage to facilities.

(Video by Kang Myeong-cheol, JIBS)

Reported by Kim Jae-yeon, JIBS