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There was an earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province at 8:56 p.m. on Saturday. The residents of the region said they felt their homes shudder violently after hearing what sounded like thunder from underground, while employees of the regional government said they were scared to death by the sudden jolt. We should feel lucky that such an earthquake did not occur in Seoul or other major city. Earthquakes of that magnitude have not been restricted to that province alone. In the Korean peninsula last year, 50 earthquakes were measured. It¡¯s simply frightening to imagine the damage a large earthquake would cause to a major city.
Korea rests on top of a huge tectonic plate, and the chance of an earthquake caused by colliding land masses is far less than that of Japan, which sits on top of the edge of a plate. But Korea sits atop the same tectonic plate that caused 6,300 deaths, 38,000 injuries and the collapse of 100,000 homes in Kobe, Japan 12 years ago.
Modern science still cannot predict an earthquake. We can only increase our readiness to deal with one. Japan had been confident it could withstand any earthquake. But Kobe¡¯s buildings, roads, bridges and rail roads, which were built not only to withstand horizontal jolts, but vertical ones as well, were demolished. In Japan, cases of shoddy construction were discovered about a year ago.
Where do we stand in that area, in a country behind Japan in terms of earthquake-proof construction methods? Only limited sections of buildings, subways and other infrastructure are built to withstand earthquakes. Some statistics say only two percent of those structures are built to withstand quakes. Seoul city data shows only half of the city¡¯s bridges can withstand an earthquake. There is also controversy over the fact that atomic power plants have been built on fault lines.
Ours is a country which witnessed the collapse of a bridge and a shopping mall even when there was no earthquake. Regulations are getting stricter, but the reality is that nobody can be confident these rules are being followed closely. There¡¯s also a lack of significant geological research into what¡¯s going on underneath the country. Until now, whenever an earthquake happened, there were temporary shocks, which were soon replaced by nonchalance. At this rate, we will not be able to avoid a calamity if a large earthquake hits a major city.
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