Deadly Typhoon Bolaven Batters South Korea

Typhoon Bolaven has pounded South Korea - with rough seas causing two fishing ships to smash into rocks and kill five fishermen.

Separately, at least three other people died as the typhoon cut off power to more than 330,000 South Koreans.

Nearly 200 flights were cancelled and joint military exercises by US and South Korean military forces were temporarily halted.

Chinese fishing ships collided with rocks off South Korea's southern Jeju island, where rescue vessels met rough seas.

The coastguard used a special gun to shoot rope to one ship so officers could pull themselves over and bring the fishermen back to shore, coastguard spokesman Ko Chang-keon said.

Rescuers saved 12 fishermen while another six swam to safety or were washed ashore. The search was still under way for another 10.

North Korea, which is still struggling to rebuild from massive floods and a devastating drought before that, is next in the typhoon's path.

State media reported the country was being lashed by heavy rain and strong winds on Tuesday.

South Korea issued a storm warning for the capital, Seoul, as Bolaven battered the country's south and west, knocking over street lights and church spires and ripping signs from stores. More than 15,000 schools cancelled classes.

A large container box crushed an apartment janitor to death, a woman fell to her death from a rooftop where she kept dried red peppers and a third person died after bricks hit a house, according to disaster and fire officials.

Weather officials had warned that Bolaven would be the strongest typhoon to hit the region in several years, but its gusts were not as powerful as predicted.

The typhoon hit the southern Japanese island of Okinawa on Monday, injuring four people but doing less damage than feared before moving off to sea. More than 75,000 households lost power.

Farther south, another typhoon, Tembin, doubled back and hit Taiwan three days after drenching the same region before blowing out to sea.