By Lee Han-soo, Lee Jin-a
Three major earthquakes that struck Gyeongju and surrounding areas recently have an odd coincidence: all occurred around 8:33 p.m.
A 5.0-magnitude earthquake hit in waters off Ulsan, an industrial city just kilometers north from Gyeongju, at 8:33:03 p.m. on July 5. It was followed by a powerful quake with a 5.8-magnitude that jolted the historic city of Gyeongju at 8:32:52 p.m., Sept. 12, and a 4.5-magnitude aftershock in the same city at 8:33:58 p.m., Monday.
This extremely rare coincidence has created a massive buzz on the Internet.
Dubbed “Earthquake terror of 8:33 p.m.,” rumors include a prediction that another earthquake will happen around the same time on Sep. 26.
But experts say the timing is just an unlucky coincidence.
“We are aware of rumors about the coincidence,” a spokesman for the Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA) told The Korea Times, Wednesday.
“But there is no scientific proof that there is a correlation between the time 8:33 p.m. and the earthquakes. This also includes additional rumors that there might be an earthquake on Sep. 26, around the same time. We can’t give a definitive answer that it won’t happen, but even if it does, it will be a total coincidence.”
The KMA denied that research is being done to find a correlation between the earthquakes and the time.