The Buan Earthquake Shakes the Nation... Damage to National Heritage Sites

315 'Yugam Reports' Nationwide
5 National Heritage Sites in Buan Damaged

An earthquake occurred in Buan, Jeonbuk, and over 300 reports of tremors felt across the country were received. Facility damages, including five national heritage sites, also followed.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake was observed at 8:26 a.m. on the 12th, 4 km south-southwest of Buan, Jeonbuk, followed by 17 aftershocks.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

As of 5:30 p.m. on the same day, the Central Disaster Headquarters confirmed a total of 129 facility damages, concentrated in Buan (114 cases). Damages included broken bathroom tiles, cracks in walls, and leaning residential fences. No casualties have been reported so far.

In Buan, national heritage sites were also damaged by this earthquake. Five national heritage sites in Buan?Daewoongbojeon at Naesosa Temple, Guam-ri Dolmen Cluster, Seokga Yeorae Samjonbul Statue at Gaeamsa Temple, Seolseondang and Yosa at Naesosa Temple?and one nearby site were affected. The Cultural Heritage Administration has imposed access restrictions on the surrounding areas.

As of 2 p.m. on the same day, the Fire Agency reported receiving 315 damage reports. By region, tremors were felt nationwide as follows: Seoul 13, Busan 2, Daegu 1, Gwangju 23, Daejeon 21, Sejong 9, Gyeonggi 47, Gangwon 2, Chungbuk 42, Chungnam 43, Jeonbuk 77, Jeonnam 24, Gyeongbuk 6, and Changwon 5.

The earthquake caused cracks in school buildings, disrupting academic schedules. According to the Ministry of Education, as of 5:30 p.m., cracks and leaks were confirmed in 18 schools located in Buan, Iksan, Gimje, Jeongeup, Jeonju, Gunsan, and Daejeon. Two schools in Jeonbuk and Chungnam conducted shortened classes.

In Jeonbuk, which was directly hit by the earthquake, a risk assessment team for earthquake-damaged facilities was activated. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Jeonbuk Province, and Buan County will jointly conduct damage investigations.

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