[News Terms] The ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee That Decides Typhoon Names

The 'ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee (TCS)' is an organization established to minimize typhoon damage in the Asia-Pacific region through technical and administrative exchanges and regional cooperation regarding typhoons. It is the institution responsible for naming typhoons.

Since it was jointly established in 1968 by the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), its official name is quite long. The official English name is 'Typhoon Committee of the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the World Meteorological Organization,' and it is abbreviated as 'ESCAP/WMO TCS.' This is why it is referred to as 'ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee (TCS)' rather than simply 'Typhoon Committee' in Korean.

Satellite image of Typhoon 'Khanun'.
Photo by Yonhap News

There are 14 member countries: South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, North Korea, Singapore, and the United States. The United States joined because the U.S. territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are affected by typhoons.

Although affected by typhoons, countries such as Russia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar, and Palau have not joined the Typhoon Committee due to minimal impact on their own territories. Taiwan is also not a member due to the One-China policy. The headquarters is located in Macau (relocated from Manila, Philippines in 2007) and operates through five divisions: meteorology, hydrology, disaster prevention, education and training, and research. The Secretary-General is Duan Yihong.

A typhoon is a type of tropical cyclone with maximum wind speeds near the center of 17 m/s or higher. Tropical cyclones are low-pressure systems that form over the sea between latitudes 5 and 20 degrees in tropical regions. When a typhoon weakens, it reverts to a tropical cyclone.

Since typhoons can last more than a week and multiple typhoons can exist in the same area, names are assigned to avoid confusion in forecasting. Australian forecasters were the first to name typhoons, initially using the names of disliked politicians. After World War II, the U.S. Air Force and Navy officially began naming typhoons, often using the names of their wives or girlfriends. Following this tradition, until 1978 typhoon names were exclusively female, after which male and female names have been used alternately.

Until 1999, names designated by the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center were used, but starting in 2000, to increase public interest and awareness in the Asia-Pacific region, the 14 member countries of the Typhoon Committee submit names that are used in rotation. Each country submits 10 names, totaling 140 names divided into five groups of 28 names each, used sequentially from group 1 to group 5. After all 140 names are used, the list restarts from number 1. Since about 25 typhoons occur annually, it takes approximately 4 to 5 years to cycle through all the names. Among the Typhoon Committee members is North Korea, so there are 20 typhoon names in Korean. However, names of typhoons that caused significant damage, such as 'Maemi' or 'Hinnamnor,' are retired and not reused.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.