Quake in South Korea left 1,500 homeless, dozens injured

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake that was South Korea's second-strongest in decades damaged infrastructure, injured dozens of people and left about 1,500 homeless, officials said Thursday.

No deaths have been reported since the quake rattled the southeastern coastal region around the port city of Pohang on Wednesday afternoon.

As of Thursday morning, 1,536 people had been forced to evacuate their homes and 57 people were injured, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said in a statement.

More than 1,000 houses and dozens of other buildings and cars were damaged or destroyed, and cracks and other damage were found in military facilities, bridges, port facilities and water supply facilities. Media images showed crumbled walls piled on damaged cars, broken windows and cracks in buildings.

The quake also forced the education ministry to put off the university entrance exam for one week because some buildings chosen as test venues had cracks and students in the southeastern region were displaced from their homes and complained of anxieties. The annual test administered by the government is a huge national event in South Korea, where diplomas from top colleges often guarantee better jobs and spouses.

It's the second-strongest quake in South Korea since the country officially began monitoring them in 1978. The biggest quake occurred in September 2016, when a 5.8 magnitude occurred near the ancient city of Gyeongju, which is close to Pohang. That quake also caused injuries but no deaths.

South Korea's state-run Korea Meteorological Administration said the epicenter of Wednesday's quake was inside Pohang while the U.S. Geological Survey said it was centered about 9.3 kilometers (5.8 miles) northwest of the port city. The shaking was felt in Seoul, more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) away.

South Korea has relatively little seismic activity, unlike neighboring Japan.

Rare 5.4-magnitude quake hits southern S. Korea

A rare 5.4-magnitude earthquake hit South Korea's southeast Wednesday afternoon, the second most powerful quake on record in a country that seldom experiences significant tremors.

The quake, felt across much of the country including in the capital Seoul, struck at the shallow depth of nine kilometres (six miles) near the industrial city of Pohang at around 2:30 pm (0530 GMT), the Korea Meteorological Administration said.

Seven people were injured, Seoul's public administration ministry said, but they warned that number could rise because the quake was shallow.

The Korean peninsula rarely has to worry about significant quakes.

But seismic activity is closely monitored because a spike in activity is often the first indication that North Korea has carried out a nuclear test.

The port city of Pohang is home to the headquarters of Posco - the country's top, and the world's fourth largest, steelmaker. No immediate damage was reported in the firm's steel mills.

Photos and video footage sent to local TV stations showed crumbled street walls, furniture violently shaking inside people's homes and people rushing out of buildings in panic.

Shattered storefronts and goods tumbling off store shelves were seen in images posted on social media, as well as cars smashed by fallen bricks and cracks in the ground.

Emergency centres nationwide were flooded with thousands of calls seeking information, while Kakao Talk - the South's top mobile messenger application - reported service disruption due to heavy traffic.

South Korean President Moon Jae-In, on his way to Seoul after attending the ASEAN summit in Manila, is set to hold an emergency meeting upon arrival, his office said.

Wednesday's quake was followed by multiple aftershocks including a 4.3-magnitude tremor that hit about two hours later.

It came a day ahead of the all-important college entrance exam during which the whole nation falls silent to help teenagers focus on the annual event, whose result could define their future in the competitive society.

As many fear more quakes that may take place on the crucial day, Prime Minister Lee Nak-Yeon ordered officials to deploy "all government resources possibly available" to ensure that Thursday's test is held smoothly.

Even Seoul's financial markets and many businesses open late on the day to clear traffic for test-takers, with airport landing and takeoffs suspended for 30 minutes during the main language listening test.

Local nuclear reactors were operating without disruption, Yonhap news agency said, citing officials at Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power.  

The most powerful quake recorded in the South was a 5.8-magnitude tremor that hit the southeastern city of Gyeongju in September last year.

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