Korea may have even stronger quakes
By Kim Bo-eun
Korea’s strongest-ever earthquake, which jolted the nation Monday with a 5.8 magnitude, is likely to have subsided, but Korea faces the possibility of even stronger quakes in the future, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Tuesday.
“There is the possibility that additional quakes of magnitudes between 5.8 and 6 and even over 6 could hit the nation,” said Ko Yun-hwa, head of the KMA, in a meeting with government and ruling Saenuri Party officials at the National Assembly in Seoul to discuss measures following the quake.
“It is unlikely, however, for the magnitude of future quakes to reach 6.5 or above,” he added.
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake began at 7:44 p.m., its epicenter at Naenam Elementary School in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Then, 48 minutes later, an aftershock measuring 5.8 struck the country, which was felt as far north as Seoul. A total of 210 aftershocks were observed in total, more than double those recorded in 2013, when Korea had the largest number of tremors, 93, since records started being kept in 1978.
Regarding the cause of the quake, Ko said opinions vary.
“Some experts say it was affected by Japan’s powerful earthquake in 2011, and others say the Japan quake has nothing to do with it.”
A total of eight people were injured and there were 253 reports of property damage, according to the Ministry of Public Safety and Security.
In Gyeongju, four people sustained injuries. A woman surnamed Hwang, 80, was injured after a television fell on her and another woman surnamed Kim, 88, sustained injuries after a shoe rack landed on her. A man suffered a fracture of his foot from a falling rock, while another had injuries to his jaw and teeth after he jumped from the second floor of a building.
Property damage reports included 106 cases of cracks in buildings, 16 damaged pipelines, 66 damaged roofs and five rockslides.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power halted the operation of the Wolsong nuclear power plant.
Although it said the nation’s nuclear power plants were built to withstand quakes with magnitudes of up to 6.5 to 7, the state-run operator said operations were halted so detailed safety inspections could be carried out.
This was the first time for a nuclear power plant to be taken offline following an earthquake.
The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission also carried out inspections of nuclear power plants nationwide as well as a radioactive waste disposal facility in Gyeongju.
The production lines of Samsung Electronics and LG Display in Gumi’s state industrial complex temporarily halted operations, Monday, but resumed shortly after. Hyundai Motor and SK Chemical halted operations at their Ulsan factories for several hours but resumed operation Tuesday morning.
Many citizens in the affected regions passed a sleepless night in fear of additional quakes.
“I was shopping for groceries at a discount store when the second quake occurred. Some small items fell off the shelves and the store owner started making announcements for customers not to panic,” said Jeong Won-kyu, 57, a Busan resident.
“I called both 119 and my home, where my elderly parents were, but phone service was not working — we all were in a state of shock and did not know what to do.”