Quakes shake Japan, Ecuador, Philippines ... Is Korea next?

/Courtesy of Twitter

By Lee Han-soo

Recent earthquakes in the Ring of Fire ― an area around the Pacific Ocean’s rim ― have killed hundreds and left a trail of destruction in Japan, Ecuador and the Philippines.

After the earthquake hit Japan on April 14, quakes followed in Ecuador and the Philippines. There also was a volcanic eruption in Mexico.

Although the Korean Peninsula is known to be in a “safe zone,” it felt tremors when the 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto, Japan.

All this recent activity raises the question: Is Korea really safe from these natural disasters? Or is a massive disaster looming?

With 90 percent of earthquakes happening inside the Ring of Fire, experts say Korea may not be as safe as people think.

“The location of the Kumamoto quakes lies on the same tectonic plate as the Korean Peninsula, so the possibility for a 5 to 5.5-magnitude quake occurring in coming years has risen,” a researcher at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources said.

There also have been more than 20 tremors with 2.0-magnitude or higher on the Korean Peninsula this year, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

Experts say that if an earthquake with magnitude 6.0 or above hits Korea, mass casualties are possible because many buildings are not built to withstand earthquakes.

Adding to this, international science journal “Science Advances” recently reported that there is an extensive magma pool, more than double the size of Seoul, under Mt. Baekdu, the tallest mountain on the Korean Peninsula. The journal said a full-scale eruption of the mountain on the North Korea-China border is not out of the question.

A Chinese institute monitoring volcanic activity at the mountain said minor quakes that are too weak for people to feel occur nearly 100 times a day.

Scientists say that since earthquakes near Mt. Baekdu started in 2005, the magma underneath the mountain has been rising to the surface, proof that the volcano is more active than thought, according to the Voice of America.

With the Ring of Fire to the south of the Korean Peninsula and the possibility of an active volcano in the north, Korea might be in the calm center of the storm’s eye.