questions.
1. share your experience about recent earthquake? Was it first time?
2. Do you think you're safe on earthquake in Korea? if not, why do you think not safe?
3. Do we need to build new regulations or bills to prepare bigger earthquake? if so, why? Doesn't it cost too much?
4. It's read earthquake happened time to time as in ancient history book of Korea previous dynasties like Chousun and Korea.It can be learned from history Korea is not earthquake free country. However, goverment risked building nuclear power plant along side earthquake line east south of korea.Why did they do this?
5. Do you know your safe protocol in your house or office when earthquake happened? Share your protocol.
A 5.4 magnitude earthquake that was South Korea's second-strongest in decades damaged infrastructure, injured dozens of people and left about 1,500 homeless, officials said on Thursday.
No deaths have been reported since the quake rattled the southeastern coastal region around the port city of Pohang on Wednesday afternoon.
As of Thursday morning, 1,536 people had been forced to evacuate their homes and 57 people were injured, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said in a statement.
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South Korea hit by 5.4-magnitude earthquake
More than 1,000 houses and dozens of other buildings and cars were damaged or destroyed, and cracks and other damage were found in military facilities, bridges, port facilities and water supply facilities. Media images showed crumbled walls piled on damaged cars, broken windows and cracks in buildings.
The quake also forced the education ministry to put off the university entrance exam for one week because some buildings chosen as test venues had cracks and students in the southeastern region were displaced from their homes and complained of anxieties. The annual test administered by the government is a huge national event in South Korea, where diplomas from top colleges often guarantee better jobs and spouses.
It's the second-strongest quake in South Korea since the country officially began monitoring them in 1978. The biggest quake occurred in September 2016, when a 5.8 magnitude occurred near the ancient city of Gyeongju, which is close to Pohang. That quake also caused injuries but no deaths.
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South Korea's state-run Korea Meteorological Administration said the epicentre of Wednesday's quake was inside Pohang while the US Geological Survey said it was centred about 9.3 kilometres (5.8 miles) northwest of the port city. The shaking was felt in Seoul, more than 300 kilometres (186 miles) away.
South Korea has relatively little seismic activity, unlike neighbouring Japan.
A magnitude-5.4 earthquake shook southeastern South Korea today, marking the largest in the nation since last year’s trembler in nearby Gyeongju.
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Today’s earthquake, which caused minor injuries, struck around 2:29 p.m. local time about 6 miles north of the city of Pohang. Old buildings collapsed and concrete roads cracked open. Some residents in Seoul even detected the vibration several hundred miles away.
PHOTO: A car damaged by falling bricks after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake is seen in the southeastern port city of Pohang, Nov. 15, 2017.AFP/Getty Images
A car damaged by falling bricks after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake is seen in the southeastern port city of Pohang, Nov. 15, 2017.
PHOTO: Damage to the wall of a house is seen after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake in the southeastern port city of Pohang, Nov. 15, 2017.AFP/Getty Images
Damage to the wall of a house is seen after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake in the southeastern port city of Pohang, Nov. 15, 2017.
There have been 18 aftershocks, officials said, ranging in magnitude from 2.2 to 5.4 as residents tweeted in real-time on the damages. At Handong Global University, an outer wall of a school building collapsed. Books fell from shelves and furniture trembled, as seen through videos from social network services.
Fifty people suffered minor injuries, according to the National Fire Agency, but the number is expected to rise. The epicenter of the quake was about 5 miles underground, according to South Korea’s Meteorological Administration. The more shallow the epicenter, the bigger the shock above ground.
“The earthquake is the second-strongest natural earthquake to take place in the Korean peninsula since last year’s quake in Gyeongju,” the meteorological administration said.
PHOTO: University students stand in an open space to take shelter after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake in the southeastern port city of Pohang, Nov. 15, 2017.AFP/Getty Images
University students stand in an open space to take shelter after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake in the southeastern port city of Pohang, Nov. 15, 2017.more +
Last year’s earthquake had a magnitude of 5.8, damaging many cultural sites and buildings.
The Korea Meteorological Administration stressed that South Korea is no longer free from earthquake threats. Seismic activity has reached a new phase since last year’s Gyeongju earthquake.
A total of 139 quakes of magnitude-2 and above have been detected this year alone, which is more than twice the historical average. South Korea had been known to have little seismic activity compared to neighboring Japan.
Meanwhile, no leakage or breakdowns were detected at the six nuclear reactors in Gyeongju, according to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.
But because of the possibility of more quakes, the annual college entrance exam scheduled for Thursday has been postponed for safety concerns until next week. It is the first time the entrance exam has been delayed for any reason in its 24-year existence.
AP