SEOUL - At least nine people have been killed, mostly drowned in flooding, after a typhoon battered the Republic of Korea (ROK), a disaster official said on Monday, while the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) braced for huge waves and torrential rain.

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Lee Gon-hee of the Central Disaster and Safety Control Centre in Seoul said a further three people were missing after  

Typhoon Meari skirted the west coast of ROK at the weekend.

Meari, the Korean word for "echo", was due to make landfall in the DRPK early on Monday.

The DPRK's KCNA state news agency warned residents in the coastal areas of South Hamgyong Province and Kangwon Province to be ready for "tidal waves".      

Dozens of domestic flights were cancelled in the ROK on Sunday and ships ordered to stay in port. Authorities said international flights were not affected.

The historic Chilgok bridge in North Gyeongsang, built to honour soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, partially collapsed at the weekend after the Nakdong River flooded.  

The same typhoon left nearly 30 people dead or missing in the Philippines and Vietnam last week.