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While Korea's close neighbor Japan experienced devastating quakes and tsunamis, such natural
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disasters were not much of a concern on this side of the East Sea.
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But that perception is changing with a major tremor rattling the nation for the second
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year in a row.
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Lee Jeong-yeon has the full story.
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South Korea was once again hit by an earthquake above magnitude five.
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The tremors from the magnitude 5-point-4 earthquake were felt as far as Seoul, 300-kilometers
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away from the epicenter in Pohang.
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(stand-up) The earthquake in Pohang comes around a year
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after the magnitude 5-point-8 earthquake that hit Gyeongju last year.
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So amid growing concerns among the public that South Korea may not be an "earthquake-safe"
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zone, here is what the expert has to say.
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(Korean) "When we look at the earthquake patterns recorded
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throughout South Korea's history, quakes have occurred everywhere on the peninsula.
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They aren't limited to certain areas.
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So we need to prepare for the possibility of the whole country being prone to big earthquakes
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and take necessary precautions."
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The expert explains that Pohang, where Wednesday's earthquake hit, is situated along what is
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called an "active fault," a fault that has seen seismic activity during the last 10,000
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years.
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(Korean) "Through this earthquake, the fact that the
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fault is active is now undisputable.
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An active fault is always prone to earthquakes so we must keep a close watch on the region."
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More than 40 aftershocks have occurred so far since the main tremor.
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And although it had a lower magnitude than last year's quake, the Pohang quake has actually
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caused more damage.
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The main difference is that the depth of the of last year's Gyeongju earthquake was between
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11 and 16 kilometers, and its epicenter was in a less populated area near the reservoir,
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but Wednesday's quake was just nine kilometers below the city in Pohang.
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Experts say that for now, earthquakes are nearly impossible to predict, but scientists
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are trying to improve earthquake prediction technology and to come up with more diverse
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ways to warn the public... so as to minimize fatalities.
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Lee Jeong-yeon, Arirang News
