Earthquake Concerns

[Anchor Lead]

The epicenter of the latest aftershock is just three-point-nine kilometers away from the seismic center of the two previous strong earthquakes on September 12th. Residents living near the epicenter are growing anxious.

[Pkg]

The epicenter of Monday's four-point-five-magnitude aftershock is Deokcheon-ri, Naenam-myon in Gyeongju. It is just 3.9 kilometers away from the epicenter of last week's five-point-eight-magnitude earthquake in Buji-ri, Naenam-myon. As the tremor was felt, residents again evacuated to a community center. The residents have remained anxious since September 12th, with some 300 aftershocks and they couldn't get any sleep last night.

[Soundbite] Kim Jong-soon(Resident) : "The tremor was really strong. It shook a lot. I was terrified. I wondered how I can live here."

The residents are growing even more anxious, since the Korea Meteorological Administration said that aftershocks can continue. The Naenam-myon community office was inundated with inquiry calls from residents about the tremor. Some residents patrolled the village to check if there was any damage.

[Soundbite] Kim Kyung-tae(Volunteer Firefighter) : "Residents were very scared and felt threatened. They couldn't sleep and are staying outside."

Fears are rising, as another strong quake jolted the region in a week. And residents living near the epicenter had to keep their guards up again throughout the night.