June 02, 2023
News

North Korea reports real-time typhoon damage in rare overnight broadcasts

Streets flooded, buildings damaged in North Korean southwest as Typhoon Bavi forecast to pass by Thursday afternoon

North Korea is experiencing flooding and wind damage from Typhoon Bavi along its southwest coast and interior, state television reported overnight and on Thursday morning. North Korean broadcasters took the extraordinary step of staying on air between Aug. 26 and Aug. 27 to deliver up-to-the-minute reports of typhoon damage from on the ground.

Though Korean Central Television (KCTV) signs off every day at 10:30 p.m. local time, it continued to air overnight, cutting into movies and other programs to show updates on the typhoon’s wind speeds, rainfall and its projected path up the west coast and near the capital Pyongyang. In North Korea, the storm is referred to as "Typhoon 8" instead of Typhoon Bavi.