3.7 magnitude earthquake shook Ganghwa

“Cracking sound and shaking house woke me up. I’ve never experienced this magnitude of earthquake in 50 years in Gwanghwa-do, where I’ve lived my whole life.”

A comment from Mr. Jang (70), a native of Ganghwa County, Incheon, on a phone call with a reporter from DongA Il-bo on Monday. “I first heard a cracking sound just like from a low-flying airplane, and my one-story house shook," he said. "Some neighbors said they thought it was a missile landing.”

At 1:28 a.m. on Monday, a 3.7 magnitude earthquake occurred 25 kilometers west of Ganghwa County, Incheon. Progress was 4 in Incheon, 3 in Gyeonggi, and 2 in Seoul. A magnitude of 4 is the level at which bowls and windows shake, and many people feel the vibration indoors, and some may wake up.

The earthquake was felt not only in Incheon but also in most of the metropolitan areas, including Seoul, Gyeonggi Suwon, and Uijeongbu. “I was lying down to sleep, but the floor suddenly shook," said Kim Su-ji (27), who lives in Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), 104 earthquake reports were received that day, including 45 in Gyeonggi, 33 in Seoul, and 25 in Incheon. There was no loss of life or property damage from the earthquake.

Many citizens said they had trouble sleeping in the early hours of the morning because of the emergency text message that was sent along with the alarm sound immediately after the earthquake. “After waking up in a panic at the disaster message that came in the morning, I kept checking the internet news and went to work without a sigh," said Lim Seo-hyeon (28, Gwanak-gu, Seoul), an office worker who fell asleep at around 11:00 p.m. the previous day.


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