'The building shook': Quake off Japan startles residents, workers in southern Korea
The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck off the coast of Japan was strong enough to shake buildings in Busan and nearby regions, with hundreds of reports made.
People stand in the parking lot after evacuating from a building after feeling a tremble in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, on July 28.YONHAP
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Japan's Kyushu region on Tuesday sent tremors across southern Korea.
By 4:47 p.m., the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Fire Agency had received 760 reports from people saying they felt the earthquake.
Busan recorded the highest number of reports at 291, followed by Ulsanat 120; South Gyeongsang at 106; Changwon, South Gyeongsang, at 95; and North Gyeongsang at 68. Residents also reported tremors in South Jeolla, Incheon, Gwangju, North Jeolla, Gyeonggi, Daegu and Jeju.
The intensity was as high as III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in Busan, South Gyeongsang and Jeju, a level that can be clearly felt indoors, especially on the upper floors of buildings, according to the scale. Parked vehicles may also rock slightly.
"The signs on the building were shaking, and [the tremors] lasted quite a while," said an office worker in Haeundae District, Busan. "I was inside the building and ran outside because I was startled."
“The building shook three or four times,” said another from Yeonje District, Busan. The resident added that they called the Busan firefighting headquarters to ask whether an earthquake had occurred.
People evacuate from a building after feeling an earthquake in Busan, on July 28, in this photo provided by a reader.YONHAP
By 5 p.m., fire authorities in South Gyeongsang and Changwon had received 215 reports from residents who said buildings were shaking. Changwon alone received 95 of the reports. Additional calls came from cities in South Gyeongsang, such as Gimhae, Yangsan, Tongyeong and Geoje.
"I was in my office on the fourth floor, and the fan started swaying," said an office worker in Changwon.
On Jeju Island, one resident living on the 10th floor of an apartment building in Nohyeong-dong also reported feeling the tremor.
Authorities said no damage had been reported in Busan, South Gyeongsang or Jeju as of 5 p.m.
A red marking on a map indicates the location where a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck near Kumamoto in southern Japan on July 28.KOREA METEORLOGICAL ADMINISTRATION
"We are informing callers that the shaking was caused by the earthquake in Japan and providing guidance on earthquake safety procedures," an official from the Busan firefighting headquarters said.
The tremor also reached intensity II in Ulsan, North Jeolla, North Chungcheong, Daegu, South Chungcheong, Gangwon and Gyeonggi. At that level, only some people at rest or on upper floors of buildings are likely to notice the shaking. Most reports from North Gyeongsang were inquiries about the tremor rather than reports of damage.
Authorities also said the Kori Nuclear Power Site in Busan and the Wolsong Nuclear Power Site in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, were operating normally and were unaffected.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
