5.8-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE

[Anchor Lead]

The historic city of Gyeongju was struck by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Korea, reaching a magnitude of 5.8. The event reminded people in this country that the Korean Peninsula is not immune to earthquakes, and that they must be better prepared for this kind of disaster.

[Pkg]

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck 8.7 kilometers southwest of Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province on September 12th at 8:33 p.m. It was the most powerful tremor to hit Korea since earthquake observations began in the nation in 1978.The shocks were felt even in the Seoul metropolitan area.

[Soundbite] "The earth began to shake all of a sudden.The nearby buildings were shaking as well."

[Soundbite] "I was watching TV when everything began to shake.I knew it was an earthquake for sure."

Although nobody was seriously hurt in the quake, many cultural properties were destroyed and roof tiles collapsed, prompting the government to designate Gyeongju as a special disaster zone due to the massive scale of the damage.

[Soundbite] Kim Hee-kyum(Min. of Public Safety & Security) : "We will do our best to help the public toreturn to normal life as soon as possible.It's an opportunity to dramatically improvethe government's disaster response capabilities."

So far, more than 540 aftershocks have been recorded in Gyeongju, reminding the country once again that it is not safe from earthquakes anymore. The Korean government has launched nationwide earthquake drills and expanded the 2017 budget to prepare for additional earthquakes.