Seoul, Sep 2 (IANS): with typhoon Maysak scheduled to hit the Korean Peninsula later this week, North Korea has taken urgent measures to minimize damages caused by strong winds and heavy rain, Pyongyang's state-media reported on Wednesday.

"Officials of the (ruling Workers') Party and power organs at all levels are conducting intensive information campaign among people to let them deeply understand the importance of the work for preventing typhoon damage and methods of coping with its crisis," Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a report.

Maysak is expected to pass through South Korean cities of Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongju on Thursday and hit North Korea the next day.

At its peak, the typhoon could bring powerful winds with speeds of up to 180 km per hour, and may be stronger in force than Bavi, which hit North Korea last week, reports Xinhua news agency.

Local officials surveyed the dangerous spots, examined the conditions of buildings, roads, croplands, railways, railway tunnels and others in their areas and took immediate measures to ward off the possible damage of the typhoon, the KCNA report said.

The units in charge of city management have repaired roofs, fixed trees and road lamps, removed sediments from sewerage and put water pumps in good condition for smooth drainage, it said.

Meanwhile, the power distribution stations in each province, city and county have taken measures to protect electrical equipment and power transmission towers, while fishery and offshore farms on the east coast also put their ships in safe areas.