68 Earthquakes Occurred Last Year... Gyeongbuk and Jeonnam Were the Most Frequent Locations

KMA 2020 Earthquake Yearbook Published
Total of 5 Earthquakes of Magnitude 3.0 or Higher
76 Consecutive Earthquakes in Haenam

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] There were 68 earthquakes in South Korea last year. Since 2016, the number of earthquakes has been steadily decreasing.

On the 26th, the Korea Meteorological Administration published the "2020 Earthquake Yearbook," which contains an analysis of domestic earthquakes. Last year, there were 68 earthquakes of magnitude 2.0 or higher, a 23% decrease compared to the previous year (88 occurrences).

Since the start of digital earthquake monitoring, last year was the first time the number of earthquakes was lower than the annual average (70.7 occurrences) following the September 12, 2016 earthquake.

There were a total of 5 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher, which can be felt by many people. This is fewer than the 14 occurrences in 2019 and the annual average of 11 occurrences.

The regions in South Korea with the most frequent earthquakes were Gyeongbuk and Jeonnam, in that order. Based on earthquakes of magnitude 2.0 or higher, Gyeongbuk recorded 12 occurrences, Jeonnam 6 occurrences, and Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon recorded 1 to 2 occurrences each.

Including earthquakes below magnitude 2.0, there were 225 occurrences in Gyeongbuk and 105 in Jeonnam. The Gyeongbuk region generally has a higher frequency of earthquakes, and in Jeonnam, the continuous earthquakes in Haenam influenced the numbers.

In Haenam, Jeonnam, a total of 76 consecutive earthquakes occurred from April 26 to June 11 last year. This record includes earthquakes below magnitude 2.0.

The Korea Meteorological Administration explained, "Joint analysis with earthquake experts shows that the consecutive earthquakes are distributed within a narrow range of about 500 meters at a depth of 20 km underground," and added, "This is a characteristic of earthquakes that can generally occur on the Korean Peninsula and does not appear to be an unusual phenomenon."

Park Kwang-seok, head of the Korea Meteorological Administration, said, "There is no safe area from earthquakes, and thorough preparation is always necessary," and added, "Since earthquake prediction is still impossible with modern science, we will do our best to quickly provide information through early earthquake warnings for the safety of the public."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.