Today the Agency for Meteorology of South Korea reported that an earthquake of magnitude 3.1 occurred in the center of the country in the district of Chongju in the early morning hours. This led to the activation of emergency management and an increase in the level of alerts to the second level for seismic events.
The earthquake occurred in an area located 22 kilometers northwest of the town of Chongju in the province of North Chungcheong, at 2:35 AM. Its epicenter is located in the village of Ansong at a depth of 9 kilometers.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Security reported that no information was received about casualties or material damages. Initially, the magnitude of the earthquake was estimated at 4.2, but was later downgraded to 3.1.
This is the strongest earthquake among the seven that have occurred on the Korean Peninsula this year. Authorities, shortly after the incident, activated the central command for dealing with disasters and security and announced a warning level of "awaiting".
The warning system consists of 4 levels: "warning", "alert", "awaiting", and "danger". Emphasizing the mandatory obligations of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ko Gi-Dong urged relevant authorities and regional officials to support the emergency response system for extraordinary situations and quickly assess any damage from the latest earthquake.
The ministry also reported that there were 23 reports from citizens who felt the earthquake, including 13 reports from the province of Gangwon up to Seoul and 8 reports from the province of North Chungcheong.