Continuous Earthquakes in Haenam Area, KMA Says "Unlikely to Be a Precursor to a Large-Scale Earthquake"

A Total of 75 Earthquakes Occurred from April 26 to the End of May
"Difficult to Pinpoint the Cause, but Low Likelihood of Large-Scale Earthquakes Following"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Recent consecutive earthquakes in the Haenam area of Jeollanam-do are considered unlikely to be precursors to a large-scale earthquake.

On the 1st, the Korea Meteorological Administration held a meeting of earthquake experts to discuss the causes and outlook related to the Haenam earthquakes. Attendees included Professor Kang Taeseop from Pukyong National University, Professor Kim Kwanghee from Pusan National University, Professor Kim Seongryong from Chungnam National University, Professor Lee Junki from Seoul National University, and Cho Changsoo from the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources.

The Haenam area, previously regarded as an earthquake-free zone, experienced a total of 75 earthquakes since April 26, with activity subsiding since May 9. Recently, an additional magnitude 1.4 earthquake occurred on May 23.

Experts did not specify the exact cause of the Haenam earthquakes but agreed that these are typical seismic phenomena that can commonly occur on the Korean Peninsula. They cautioned against hastily interpreting them as precursors to a large-scale earthquake. Analysis of fault movements for earthquakes of magnitude 2.0 or higher in the Haenam area showed strike-slip faults oriented in the southeast-northwest or north-northeast-south-southwest directions, characteristics typical of earthquakes generally occurring on the Korean Peninsula. Similar sequences of consecutive earthquakes were observed in the Boryeong sea area in 2013 and around Baengnyeongdo in 2019, but these did not lead to large-scale earthquakes, which also supported this assessment.

The Korea Meteorological Administration stated that to clearly identify the causes of the earthquakes, further research is needed on the underlying fault structures as well as on the system of earthquakes occurring consecutively over short periods. Director General Kim Jongseok of the Korea Meteorological Administration said, "We will strengthen monitoring in the Haenam area," and added, "At the same time, we plan to promote medium- to long-term research and development (R&D) projects to more clearly determine the causes."