President Park Geun-hye on Sept. 13 urges her administration to review its quake-related emergency response countermeasures in regard to an earthquake that took place in Gyeongju on Sept. 12.
“This incident is a signal in the face of the existing belief that Korea is a relatively safe place from earthquakes,” said President Park Geun-hye at a cabinet meeting on Sept. 13.
President Park said, “Reflecting the incident in Gyeongju, hit by magnitude 5.1 and 5.8 earthquakes yesterday, we need to review the overall quake-related disaster management systems, especially for nuclear power plants, and radioactive waste disposal areas.” She urged her administration to thoroughly prepare for possible greater magnitude quakes in the future.
In regard to the damage caused by the quake, President Park called for the government “to dispatch an on-site inspection team to find out how much damage the quake caused and the reasons behind the earthquake as soon as possible in order to minimize inconvenience to the nation.”
President Park Geun-hye presides over a cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Sept. 13.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Security announced that a 5.1 magnitude earthquake took place within 9 kilometers of the southwestern city of Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, at 7: 44: 32 p.m. It was followed by a second 5.8 magnitude earthquake at 8: 32: 54 p.m., with two aftershocks of magnitude 3, on Sept. 12.
A total of 253 cases of damage were reported, including eight injured people, 106 cases of cracked buildings and 16 cases of damaged water pipe lines.
By Jeon Han, Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writers
Photos: Cheong Wa Dae
hanjeon@korea.kr
