That day, favorable conditions facilitated more rapid strengthening; the storm developed a well-defined eye and reached peak maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h (121 mph).

Soon after, the eyewall passed over the Japanese island of Miyako-jima on September 10 and produced an air pressure reading of 912 mbar (26.9 inHg), the fourth-lowest recorded in the nation.

Due to warm waters, Maemi was able to maintain much of its intensity before it made landfall just west of Busan, South Korea, on September 12.

[5] Early on September 6, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)[nb 4] upgraded the depression to a tropical storm and named it Maemi,[2] meaning "cicada" in Korean.

[5] Also around that time, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) began issuing advisories on the storm, giving it the local name "Pogi", although the typhoon would remain away from the country.

[1] On September 8, Maemi began undergoing rapid deepening due to enhanced outflow,[3] aided by the flow of an approaching shortwave trough.

[3] At 1200 UTC on September 10, the JMA estimated peak 10-minute winds of 195 km/h (121 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 910 mbar (27 inHg) while the storm was 155 km (96 mi) southeast of the Japanese island of Miyako-jima.

[5] Around the time of peak intensity, Maemi was slowing its forward motion and began turning to the north, after the eastward-moving trough weakened the ridge.

[5] Maemi weakened slightly as it continued north, passing about 220 km (140 mi) west of Okinawa on September 11 while undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle.

[3] Increasingly hostile conditions from the approaching trough caused further weakening, and the JTWC estimated the typhoon passed just east of Jeju Island with 1-minute winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) at 0600 UTC on September 12.

[8] Maemi rapidly weakened to tropical storm status while moving over land,[2] and was undergoing extratropical transition by the time it entered the Sea of Japan.

[11] Before Maemi made landfall in South Korea, officials issued flood warnings along the Nakdong River due to dams opening floodgates.

[14] Officials in Primorsky Krai in the Russian Far East issued a storm warning, noting the potential for strong winds and heavy rainfall.

For 16 hours, excluding the 2-hour passage of the eye, the pressure fell to 912 mbar (26.9 inHg), the second-lowest on record on the island after Typhoon Sarah in 1959, and at the time the fourth lowest in all of Japan.

[18] Shortly before Maemi made its final landfall, it produced wind gusts of 167 km/h (104 mph) at Izuhara, a Japanese island halfway between South Korea and Japan.

[5] The typhoon resulted in heavy rainfall on the Japanese main island of Kyushu, reaching 457 mm (18.0 in) at a station in Miyazaki Prefecture.

The Korea Meteorological Administration officially announced the typhoon's possible landing off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula at 5 p.m. on 10 Sep, making the news widely known through major media organizations.

[14] The rain was less widespread and caused less flooding than Typhoon Rusa, which struck the country a year prior, but damage from Maemi was heavier due to strong winds.

[31] On Jeju Island, Maemi produced a wind gust of 216 km/h (134 mph) and a minimum pressure of 950 mbar (28 inHg), both setting records for the country.

[35] On Jeju Island to the south of the country, Maemi destroyed sets of the Korean drama TV series All In,[43] and wrecked 32 houses.

[8] Although the typhoon prompted the PAGASA to hoist warnings – and in spite of initial concerns that the cyclone would enhance monsoonal rainfall – Maemi did not cause any damage in the Philippines.

[53] In North Korea, Maemi produced about 186 mm (7.3 in) of rainfall, although further details of the storm's effects there were unknown due to press censorship.

[55] The government provided tax breaks and allocated ₩1.4 trillion (KRW, $1.2 billion) in assistance to the affected residents,[7] after an additional budget was passed in late September 2003.

[34] After the storm, residents complained they did not receive adequate warning and not enough coastal areas were evacuated, which led to the high death toll.

[58] About 33,000 members of the South Korean Army were deployed to assist in relief efforts,[59] such as clearing roads and delivering aid to storm victims.

[7] The Consumer Confidence Index dropped to its lowest level in five years, largely due to the typhoon damage and weakened economic conditions.

[67] Following the strikes of Rusa and Maemi in consecutive years, the South Korean government worked on disaster management and mitigation programs.

[70] Later, the government of Japan sent ¥9.5 million (US$85,000)[nb 5] worth of supplies to South Korea, including sleeping mats, generators, and water units.

[72] The Republic of Korea National Red Cross utilized 700 volunteers and 200 staff members to distribute food and blankets to 8,190 houses, while local offices provided over 5,500 meals.

[73] As a result of the damage and deaths caused by the storm, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Maemi in 2006 and replaced it with Mujigae.