Received Earthquake Report and Issued Emergency Orders During Central Asia Tour
President Yoon Suk-yeol, on a state visit to Kazakhstan, delivered an encouragement speech at a meeting with ethnic Koreans and overseas Koreans invited at a hotel in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the 11th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is on a tour of three Central Asian countries, received a report on the magnitude 4.8 earthquake that occurred in Buan, Jeonbuk on the 12th and issued an urgent order to related ministries to check the emergency response system.
Kim Soo-kyung, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, stated that after President Yoon received the earthquake report that morning, he instructed the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and other related ministries to "quickly assess the damage to national infrastructure and conduct safety inspections, as well as take all necessary measures."
President Yoon also urged related agencies such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Korea Meteorological Administration to "continuously and promptly disseminate accurate information regarding any additional aftershocks to prevent public anxiety and to check the emergency response system."
Earlier, the Korea Meteorological Administration announced that at 8:26:49 a.m. on the same day, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake occurred 4 km south-southwest of Buan-gun, Jeonbuk. The administrative area is Jindong-ri, Haengan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeonbuk.
The earthquake was reportedly felt not only in Honam but also in the Seoul metropolitan area, Chungcheong, and Yeongnam regions.
In Jeonnam, the instrumental intensity was 4, which corresponds to "many people indoors feeling it and dishes and windows shaking," while in Jeonbuk, the maximum instrumental intensity was 5, indicating "almost everyone feeling it and dishes and windows breaking."
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety activated Emergency Level 1 of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) to quickly assess the damage and take necessary actions.
Meanwhile, President Yoon has been on a five-night, seven-day tour of three Central Asian countries since the 10th. After passing through Turkmenistan, he arrived in Kazakhstan, the second country on his tour, on the 11th (local time) and is carrying out his schedule.
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