By Kim Jae-won
A magnitude 5 undersea earthquake was detected 52 kilometers off the coast of the southeastern port city of Ulsan, the nation’s meteorological agency said Tuesday.
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said the earthquake was detected around 8:33 p.m. in an emergency statement.
“The earthquake’s shockwave was detected across North and South Gyeongsang provinces and Ulsan,” said the agency. “We asked the broadcasters KBS, MBC, SBS and YTN to inform people of this with subtitles.”
Residents in the region called the emergency hotline as the earthquake was strong enough to shake buildings and make objects fall from tables and shelves. The authorities said that they had received more than 1,200 calls as of 9 p.m.
Residents in an apartment in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province were evacuated due to the earthquake. Students at two high schools in the region were also evacuated after the shockwave occurred.
“First, I thought that a car had crashed into my office,” a man surnamed Park was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency. “I was anxious because the chair was trembling.”
The City of Busan said that its officials are looking for casualties from the earthquake. The Ministry of Public Safety and Security said no causalities or damage have been reported so far.