South Korea: Final Hazards Report

During the course of this semester, this class has studied various types of natural hazards -- all of which have had some effect on the Republic of South Korea.  The most devastating, however, have been the result of global climate change and its impact on the coastal regions of the country.  This report will focus on two natural hazards that are major issues today: sea level rise and typhoons.

South Korea is on a peninsula that is surrounded on three sides by seas -- The East China Sea to the south, the East Sea (Sea of Japan) to the east, and the Yellow Sea to the west.  This Asian country has 1,499 miles of coastline, with the majority of its population residing in coastal areas.  Most of its infrastructure (ports, airports, roads and power plants) is also located on the coast, and further development continues despite threats from the effects of climate change.  Specifically, climate change is responsible for a rise in sea level and is contributing to the intensity and frequency of typhoons, bringing with it huge storm surges and flooding in these high population-density areas.






Sea level rise
The rate of sea level rise is higher in South Korea than the global average.  From 1964 to 2006, wave heights on the east coast of the country reached 7m as the sea level has risen by 22cm.  Since sea walls are only 4 to 5m high in most of the ports, there has been extensive damage from flooding and erosion as waves overtopped the sea walls during storms, heavy rains and typhoons.  This is a major problem on the east coast of South Korea as there are a number of sandy beaches and cities lining the coast in Gangwon Province.  Also, roads have been built along the entire shoreline allowing tourists to appreciate the local scenery. Gangneung, a tourist attraction in this area, is losing its beaches, and its coastal structures are continuously being eroded by waves, which, in turn accelerate coastal erosion by blocking the natural flow of soil and sand.

In 2015, a study was conducted to explore a design strategy for protecting the coastline of Gangneung from the effects of climate change.  The main strategy was to reconnect the pine forest and the beach.  The roads and adjacent commercial centers would be relocated away from the coastal areas through the pine forest.  The pine forest then would provide shade for the tourists and also facilitate the natural influx of soil and sand.  Since wave heights will undoubtedly increase because of rising sea levels, the forest would also act as a natural buffer.

The above strategy is an example of a retreat strategy to protect a city from sea level rise.  South Korea has been exploring several strategies as it attempts to cope with this challenge to population-dense areas at its coasts.  Generally, there are three different approaches to dealing with sea level rise.  One is protection strategy.  This is divided into two types:  hard protection (dikes and levees) and soft protection (using natural sedimentation and vegetation to form a buffer zone).  A second strategy is accommodation whereby existing infrastructure is modified. A third is retreat strategy where risk of seal level rise is mitigated by relocating the development further from the coastline.

The map below shows the areas of the country most affected by the rise in sea level.

Typhoons
Typhoons are natural hazards in South Korea, as cyclones are a natural occurrence in the north western Pacific; however, they are increasing in intensity because of climate change.  Because the coastal areas of South Korea are densely populated, this natural hazard has become a catastrophe.  Several of note are Typhoon Sarah, which killed 669 people in 1959 and had winds of up to 105 mph; Typhoon Rusa, which killed 110 people in 2002 and had winds of 120 mph; and Typhoon Maemi that killed 100 people and left 25,000 people homeless.  Its winds were clocked at 134 mph, the highest in the country's recorded history. Typhoon Maemi is considered to be the most powerful typhoon in South Korea's history and is termed the typhoon of the century.  It leveled buildings, caused widespread flooding, washed out roads, downed electric and telephone poles, and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage in the coastal city of Pusan alone.  Cars floated down streets, cruise ships were tossed onto the beach, 82 ocean vessels sank and roads and bridges buckled.

The following video series is an up close and personal view of Typhoon Maemi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbk2CR-XM2g

These photos depict the devastation that Typhoon Maemi wrought.







South Korea has typhoon warnings in place for its citizens.  The Korean Meteorological Administration has a website that lists typhoon information, satellite imagery and typhoon track prediction.  As typhoon intensity increases because of climate change, and as more and more people reside in high risk coastal cities, the warnings might be too little too late;  the high volume of cars will not be able to leave the areas on the existing roads.

Recommendations and risky areas
South Korea has programs in place that address sea level rise and typhoon preparedness as discussed above.  The problem, as I see it, is that the population prefers to live in high-risk areas along the coast.  Development continues on reclaimed land and landfills in spite of continuous problems with flooding, erosion, typhoon damage... And this seems to be a global trend.  The Republic of South Korea will have to address infrastructure issues such as more arteries joining coastal towns to inland highways as escape routes, relocating roads and commercial centers as proposed for the town of Gangneung, building higher sea walls and encouraging people to live in other parts of the country.

The areas of the country that are at the greatest risk of sea level rise and typhoons are the southern and eastern coasts. They are tourist areas, they have ports and commercial developments, and there are roads that hug the coast.  Protections should address these areas primarily.

If I were to move to South Korea, I would not be inclined to live near the coast.




Soeul, the capital, would probably be my choice.  It is near a river and is close to a national park, but it is not on the coast -- although I would have to contend with Yellow Dust and sink holes!
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Works cited:
http://www.zeroco2.no/projects/south-korea
South Korea: Energy and Climate Change

http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?paperID=57543
Scientific Research; Journal of Building Construction and Planning Research, 2015; Protecting the coastline from the effects of climate change: adaptive design for the coastal areas of Gangneung, Korea; Yumi Lee; June 2015

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/super-typhoons-to-increase-in-strength-with-climate-change-researchers-find-20150529-ghcbfs.html
The Sydney Morning Herald; Environment; Super typhoons to increase in strength with climate change; Peter Hannam; May 2015

http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/2040/19/Republic_of_Korea.pdf
Department of Energy and Clumate Change; University of Nottingham; CLumate Observations, projections and impacts: South Korea; April 2011

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=10092
Earth Observatory; Typhoon Rusa; august 2002

http://www.koreatimesus.com/s-koreas-sea-level-up-4-inches-in-40-years-data/
The Korea Times; S. Korea's sea level up 4 inches in 40 years; December, 2015

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/login.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6263586&url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fxpls%2Fabs_all.jsp%3Farnumber%3D6263586
IEEExplore; Estimation of storm surge inundation and hazard mapping; Jong Joo Yoon; 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbk2CR-XM2g
Typhoon Maemi hits South Korea

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/17/business/typhoon-hits-south-korea-economy.html
The New York Times; Typhoon hits South Korea economy; September, 2003

http://reliefweb.int/report/republic-korea/massive-typhoon-maemi-pounds-south-korea
ReliefWeb; Massive Typhoon Maemi pounds South Korea; September 2003

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=10092
Typhoon Rusa: Natural hazards; 2002

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Sarah_(1959)
Typhoon Sarah; 1959

Coastal Hazards and South Korea

South Korea is on a peninsula that is surrounded on three sides by seas.  To the south is the East China Sea; to the west is the Yellow Sea; and to the east is the East Sea (Sea of Japan).  This Asian country has 1,499 miles of coastline, and, because of that, it has experienced many of the coastal hazards that are discussed in the text.







Waves as a result of storm surges from typhoons have resulted in many deaths as well as beach erosion.  South Korea is hit by typhoons every year, and because of climate change, their strength and frequency are increasing, causing severe damage to coastal zones. In 2015, the high waves generated by Typhoon Chan-hom hit South Korea's port city of Busan causing considerable damage to Haeundae, the beautiful white sand beach that attracts tourists from all over the world.



Haeundae, with its over one-mile long white beach, is considered one of the greatest natural wonders of the country, but it has experienced serious erosion since the 1970s.  Since then, it has shrunk from over 70m wide to less than 30m wide.  Before the 1970s, the beach was undeveloped.  Since then however, there has been road construction, regional development including hotels and businesses, and tourist attractions.  The development was done without the benefits of a Coastal Commission to weigh the risks to the natural environment.  Consequently, the development plus the storm surges and wave-induced currents of the summer and winter storm season have resulted in the rapid erosion of the beach since its pristine condition of over 40 years ago.



In addition to waves from storm surges, rip currents plague the beach at Busan.  Each year, many people are rescued from the waters off the coast of South Korea's Haeundae Beach.  These same currents, in conjunction with strong wave-induced currents and regional development, are the major  causes of beach erosion.










South Korea has implemented many strategies for combatting the effects of coastal erosion.
(1) Shore parallel structures: Many offshore breakwaters, seawalls and revetments have been constructed along South Korea's East Coast to protect against the strong waves during typhoons.
(2) Beach nourishment: Beach nourishment was implemented as a means to stabilize the shoreline at Busan.
(3) Non-traditional shore protection structures:  Geotubes are a type of coastal structure that can be used to protect the coast.  A geotube is a geosynthetic type of material that is stitched to form a tube that is then filled with sand or cement.
(4) Shore perpendicular structures: After construction of a coastal road and seawall along Namae Beach resulted in beach erosion, construction of a short jetty and two submerged reef mounds was proposed. The goal was to reduce wave-induced currents and corresponding beach erosion.
(5) Natural resource restoration: There has also been reef degradation (whitening phenomenon) off the coasts of Korea since the 1970s.  Disappearing algae has led to a reduction of fish, abalone, and sea cucumbers. The self-purification capability of seawater has declined dramatically, and it threatens the ecological balance of the ocean -- and fish productivity.  South Korea is experimenting with steel slag to promote marine reforestation in areas where damage is significant.

Haeundae Beach has seen some specific efforts by the Korean government to restore its natural beauty.  In the 1980s, South Korea began using beach nourishment alone to replenish the shoreline.  Adding sand, however, was not enough to mitigate the damage to the beach.  A study entitled Mitigation Measures for Beach Erosion and Rip Current concluded with a recommendation that groin-type submerged breakwaters at the sides of the beach, plus large-scale beach nourishments would minimize the rip channel, thereby minimizing the wave-induced currents and rip currents that have had such a devastating effect on the beach.  South Korea has now allocated $41 million to build structures in the ocean to channel the waves and currents away from the beach.
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http://ics2013.org/papers/Paper4433_rev.pdfJCR online
Mitigation Measures for Beach Erosion and Rip Current; Kyu-Han Kim, Sung won Shin, Agnes Y W Widayati, 2013
http://repository.unhas.ac.id/bitstream/handle/123456789/7671/158.CC%2009.pdf?sequence=1
Improving the Coastal Hazard Management in Indonesia: Lessons learned from other countries; A.Y.W. Widayati, KH Kim; Sept. 2013

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/typhoon-makes-waves-in-south-kore

Asia; The Straits Times; Typhoon makes waves in South Korea;
https://www.dramafever.com/news/heres-the-innovative-way-south-korea-is-rescuing-its-dying-beaches/; Dramafever; Here's the innovative way South Korea is reusing its dying beaches; March 2014

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_South_Korea
Wikipedia; Geography of South Korea

South Korea and Yellow Dust

Chapter 9 in the text deals with many different kinds of severe weather patterns.  Although South Korea has experienced several of the phenomena that were mentioned, including its first ever tornado in 2014, the subject of this blog posting will be a specific kind of dust storm -- Yellow Dust.

Yellow Dust, known as Hwang Su, generally occurs from March through May in South Korea, although it plagued the country earlier in 2015.  The dust storms originate in the deserts of Western China and Southern Mongolia, and, although they are not new to South Korea, they have been increasing in frequency and resulting in greater negative effects in recent years.  Because of deforestation in Mongolia and China as well as China's high level of industrialization, the dust storms are becoming highly toxic as dust is blown into the atmosphere by strong winds and carried through China's heavily polluting industrial areas.  By the time the jet stream carries the dust to South Korea,  it is comprised of high levels of heavy metals and industrial pollutants, including aluminum, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, silicon and toxic waste.

According to the Korean Times, "a Yellow Dust advisory is issued when an hourly average dust concentration of more than 400 micrograms per cubic meter is expected to last for more than two hours.  More than 800 micrograms leads to a Yellow Dust warning."  In February of 2015, the particulates in the dust in Seoul measured 1,044 micrograms per cubic meter of PM-10 (particles that are 10 micrometers or less in diameter).  It was the worst winter dust storm in South Korea in five years.

The effects of Yellow Dust on health and the economy can be devastating.  South Korean residents complain of irritation in the eyes, nose, mouth and throat.  The dust exacerbates respiratory and cardiovascular problems, and it has caused an increase in asthma diagnoses.  Economically, it has resulted in damage to sensitive equipment such as computers, and it has had an effect on businesses.  Food stands and market stalls have been forced to close in order to protect food and merchandise, and indoor businesses have been impacted as foot traffic is reduced.  Residents are urged to stay indoors, thus reducing shopping trips and restaurant dining. There are also long-term implications for food safety.  The National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) has issued directives for the agriculture and livestock industries to clean and disinfect greenhouses, pastures and barns in an effort to protect animals and humans.

There are warning procedures in place to alert citizens of an impending Yellow Dust storm.  The Korean Meteorological Association (KMA) issues forecast images on its website.  Some cell phone providers send text messages to their customers.  And the city of Seoul sends texts when pollutants exceed 200 micrograms. A three-tiered warning system run by the KMA is as follows:  (1) the lowest tier instructs children, the elderly, and people with respiratory issues to stay indoors and for everyone to avoid strenuous outdoor activities; (2) the second level includes kindergarteners and elementary students and encourages everyone to stay indoors; (3) the highest level includes all of the above populations as well as the general population.  All are to stay indoors, it is recommended that outside events be postponed, and if outdoors, to wear protective glasses, masks and long sleeves.





So what is being done about this? Environmental ministers from China, South Korea and Japan meet at least once per year to discuss this dilemma.  So far, not much has been done other than planting trees in the desert regions to try to slow the effects of desertification.  And, unfortunately,  many of the trees have been battered by dust and wind storms and have either fallen or are partially buried.  In addition, at this point, China's priority is economic growth rather than environmental issues. This is not a promising scenario for the citizens of South Korea.
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Korea4Expats.com; Yellow Sand-Dust, HwangSa
http://www.korea4expats.com/article-yellow-dust-korea.html

SOTT (Sign of the Times); "First ever" tornado hits Korea; June 11, 2014
http://www.sott.net/article/280520-First-ever-tornado-hits-Korea

Stars and Stripes; South Korea swarmed by yellow dust, but lower spring levels predicted; Erik Slavin February 23, 2015
http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/south-korea-swarmed-by-yellow-dust-but-lower-spring-levels-predicted-1.331155

Blouin Beat: Science and Health; Yellow dust storm carries Chinese pollutants to Korea; February 24, 2015
http://blogs.blouinnews.com/blouinbeatsciencehealth/2015/02/24/yellow-dust-storm-carries-chinese-pollutants-to-korea/

Asia Society/Korea; Hwang Su (Yellow Dust); Yvonne Kim; February 14, 2014
http://asiasociety.org/korea/hwang-sa-yellow-dust

Mass Wasting and South Korea

Landslides are an example of mass wasting.  In July, 2011, South Korea experienced devastating landslides that resulted in death and destruction in two major cities.  Although landslides can be the result of a combination of several variables, the 2011 disaster was largely precipitated by a greater than normal amount of rain.

Climate change is having a severe impact on the Korean Peninsula.  In the past 100 years, the temperature in the region has risen more than 1.8 degrees Celsius (35.24 degrees Fahrenheit), which has increased the length of the summer season by 19 days and moved the rainy season to August.  The country is now experiencing what the people call "water bombs" --- massive and destructive rainstorms after the traditional rainy season.  The Peninsula itself is steadily becoming a subtropical region, and, unfortunately, South Korea's water control systems were built for a very different climate zone.

On July 27, 2011, Seoul was drenched by 301.5 millimeters (11.8 inches) of rain.  Some locations on the Peninsula received 100 millimeters (3.9 inches) of rain hourly!  The heavy rains triggered major landslides of fast-moving, muddy water in Seoul and in the city of Chuncheon.  Thirteen people were killed in Chuncheon, including college students who were living in a cabin in the area while doing volunteer work.  They were buried by mud and debris.  Sixteen people were killed in the southern part of Seoul where debris flows destroyed residential areas at the base of a mountain.  For a TIME magazine photo essay of the devastation, see the link below.

http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2085502,00.html

There are also videos that capture the horror of the landslide (one taken from a car that drove through it!).

http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/07/29/another-new-video-of-the-south-korea-landslides/

The regular heavy rainfalls and changing climate have lent a tone of urgency to the need to change the drainage systems in the country.  They were built to handle 75 millimeters (2.9 inches) of rain per hour and a major rainfall every 10 years.  The 2011 system was on the verge of collapse when the storm hit.  Consequently, Seoul decided to raise the capacity to 95 millimeters  (3.74 inches) of rain per hour and install 82.9 kilometers (51.5 miles) of pipes in high risk areas of the city. 

As I searched for other kinds of mass wasting in South Korea, I found an old (1956) video (newsreel) of an avalanche that killed 44 soldiers.  The narration on the newsreel took me back in time!  Check it out.

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/avalanche-kills-44-soldiers-in-seoul-aka-korean-av
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Sources:
Korea JoonAng Daily; "When Climate changes, city must too";  Kim Han-byul, Jeon Young-sun; July 30, 2011
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2939562

TIME Photo Gallery
http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2085502,00.html

AGU Blogoshpere; "Another new video of South Korea landslides;"; Dave Petley
http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/07/29/another-new-video-of-the-south-korea-landslides/

The Guardian; South Korea; "Deadly Landslides hit South Korea;"
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/27/south-korea-landslides-kill-17

https://prezi.com/owohrgxm5yzm/south-korean-landslides/

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/avalanche-kills-44-soldiers-in-seoul-aka-korean-av

Volcanic Activity on the Korean Peninsula

There are several volcanoes in both North and South Korea.  Among them are Baekdu Mountain (last erupted 1903),  Hallasan (last erupted 1007), and Ulleungdo (last erupted 7350 B.C).  The Ulleungdo stratovolcano has an elevation of 984 m and is located on an island 100 kilometers off the east coast of South Korea.  Its huge explosive eruption spewed ash as far away as Japan.  The Halla shield volcano is 90 kilometers off the southern coast of South Korea and is 400 m wide at the summit.  It formed much of Cheju Island. The volcano that is the focus of much of today's attention, however, is  Mount Baekdu.

Mount Baekdu is shared by two countries.  Two-thirds of the stratovolcano sits in North Korea while the remaining one-third is in Chinese lands.  In 940 A.D. there was a huge eruption, known as a "millennium eruption," that is generally regarded as one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the last 2000 years.  Now, scientists are concerned that the seemingly dormant volcano is showing signs of another eruption that could be of significant proportions and consequences.

According to historical records, there is some volcanic activity on Mount Baekdu every 100 years.  Since the last eruption was in 1903, scientists are closely monitoring its activity, and there are several indicators that an eruption is near.  The height of Mount Baekdu has increased nearly 10 centimeters since 2002 (an expanding magma pool generally precedes an eruption), volcanic gas is being emitted at the mountaintop as well as from the forests below Lake Chonji, and seismic activity is increasing in the area.  In 2010, Jeon Byung-sung, chief of Korea's Meteorological Administration in Seoul stated, "We will come up with a comprehensive countermeasure within this year at national levels and try to arrange international cooperation as well." 

If Mount Baekdu does erupt, the devastation could be far worse -- from 10 to 100 times greater -- than was experienced after the 2010 volcanic event in Iceland.  Iceland's volcano released .11 cubic kilometers of lava.  Lava flows and ashes from the Korean mountain are expected to be of much greater volume.  Ashes could hit neighboring areas and damage agriculture, disrupt industry, and affect air flights. The Korean Peninsula, China, Japan and Russia could be severely impacted and damaged by a major volcanic eruption. And since there are nuclear power plants in the vicinity, there is a possibility of a nuclear catastrophe.

Another threat as a result of the volcanic activity would be severe flooding because of the two billion tons of water in the lake on top of the crater.  It is estimated that everything within a 30 kilometer radius would be affected in just 3 hours and 20 minutes. 

Since 2010, there has been an international effort to understand the activity on the mountain.  Scientists from the UK, the US and North Korea have come together to set up seismometers to record earth tremors beneath the volcano.  Dr. James Hammond from Imperial College London explained, "This project is not about monitoring the volcano or predicting when the eruption will happen, but about understanding what happened during the millennium eruption and also looking at what its state is now, using geophysical techniques.  This will help us understand what is driving the volcano." Professor James Gill from UC Santa Cruz is also studying Mount Baekdu -- on the Chinese side of the volcano. 

North Korea is now beginning to prepare for a possible volcanic eruption.  Radio Free Asia has reported that two evacuation drills were conducted in Ryanggang Province, the Mount Baekdu tourism railroad project has been suspended, and the planned tourism and athletic facility for winter sports has been abandoned.  The North Korean regime is currently in negotiations with China to secure aid in the event of an eruption.

1. Volcano Discovery: Halla Volcano http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/halla.html
2. Volcano Live; Volcanoes of Korea; John Search http://www.volcanolive.com/halla.html
3. SOTT; South Korea Scientists Warn of Volcanic Activity; Joong Ang Daily; June 2010;
http://www.sott.net/article/210691-South-Korea-Scientists-Warn-of-Volcanic-Activity
 4. Wikipedia; list of Volcanoes in Korea; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_volcanoes_in_Korea
 5. The Korea Times: National; Mt. Baekdu eruption's impact on NE Asia; May 5, 2012
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/05/370_110226.html
6. BBC News; Volcanic sleeping giant opens N. Korean cooperation; Simon Redfern; September 6, 2013  http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23981001
7. The Chosunilbo; N. Korea "preparing for Eruption of Mt. Baekdu;" February 11, 2011
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/02/11/2011021100978.html

Post #3: South Korea and Seismicity

The Korean Peninsula is on the Eurasian Plate.  It is not located on a fault boundary; consequently, it is seismically relatively calm.  Its neighboring countries (China and Japan), however, are seismically active.  Although it is surrounded by these high-earthquake countries, historical data and instrumental records have determined that the Peninsula has not experienced a catastrophic earthquake in the last 2000 years. (1)  Since 1905, when instrumental observations of earthquakes began in Korea, there have been about 1,000 events in or near Korea, but they have measured less than M 4.0. (2)

Because of this lack of consequential seismic activity, South Korea has been lulled into a possible false sense of security.  While many other countries have taken precautionary measures to protect life and property in the event of an earthquake, South Korea is not adequately prepared for a disaster. (3)  It wasn't until 1988 that S. Korea required buildings of six or more stories to be constructed according to earthquake safety regulations, as outlined in the Building Act Enforcement Decree.  Older buildings, however, have not been retrofitted.  In fact, according to the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2013, only 30% of buildings had been built to earthquake safety standards.  In addition, Koreans have not been given procedures to follow in case of an earthquake.  There are fire drills, but no earthquake drills. (3)

This lack of preparedness could have disastrous effects.  Korea's National Emergency Management Agency estimates that more than 7,500 people would be killed if a massive earthquake (M 6.5) struck Seoul, and 100,000 would be injured. (3) Since earthquakes are occurring more frequently (see graph below), and since there are several nuclear power plants in S. Korea (see map below), it would be wise to change policy.

1. Journal of Seismology; "The low seismic activity of the Korean Peninsula surrounded by high earthquake countries;" S. G. Kim, E. Lkhasuren, Pilho Park; December, 2003 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226243188_The_low_seismic_activity_of_the_Korean_Peninsula_surrounded_by_high_earthquake_countries

2. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America; "Historical seismicity of Korea;" Kiehwa Lee, Woo-Sun Yang, 2006   http://www.bssaonline.org/content/96/3/846.short

3. "Disaster Management in S. Korea;" So Eun Park; May 5, 2015  http://aboutiigr.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Disaster-Management-in-Korea-by-So-Eun-Park-May-5-2015.pdf

South Korea and Plate Boundaries

Post #2 -- South Korea and Plate Boundaries

South Korea, and the Korean Peninsula as a whole, does not have a tectonic plate within close proximity that can cause devastating effects.  The Philippine Plate is to the south and east, but it presents a danger to its neighbor, Japan, rather than to the Peninsula itself.  The massive power of an earthquake centered in Japan would be diminished with distance. (1) South Korea is in the Eurasian Plate, which is a "stable intraplate environment with diffuse seismicity." (2) Although it is not likely that a massive earthquake will strike the Peninsula in the near future, the frequency of minor earthquakes (2.0 or greater) has increased in recent years prompting officials to explore various earthquake safety measures. (3) 

 (1) YONHAP News Agency; South Korea Relatively Safe from Major Quakes: Experts; March 11, 2011 http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2011/03/11/26

(2)SpingerLink; Zonation of the Far Eastern Eurasian Plate around the Korean Peninsula; Tae-Kyung Hong, Seongjun Park, Soung Eil Houng; September 3, 2015  http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00024-015-1170-2

(3) The Korean Times; Korea is Not Safe from Earthquakes; Kim Se-Jeong; April 27, 2015
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2015/04/116_177843.html