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Magnitude 3.1 earthquake strikes North Chungcheong, no damage reported

Published: 08 Oct. 2025, 16:01 Updated: 09 Oct. 2025, 13:36

A 3.1 magnitude earthquake struck Okcheon County, North Chungcheong, around 11:49 a.m. on Oct. 8. [KOREA METEOROLOGICAL ADMINISTRATION]

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck near Okcheon County, North Chungcheong, shortly before noon on Wednesday, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.

The epicenter was located 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) east of Okcheon at a latitude of 36.28 degrees north and a longitude of 127.76 degrees east, with a depth of 9 kilometers, according to the agency.

The earthquake occurred at 11:49:39 a.m. By 12:20 p.m., fire authorities had received 12 reports of tremors — 10 from North Chungcheong and one each from Daejeon and North Jeolla — including reports of shaking homes. There were no reports of damage or emergency dispatches, they said.

The earthquake recorded a maximum intensity of 4 in North Chungcheong, while North Gyeongsang, Daejeon, North Jeolla and South Chungcheong registered 3, and South Gyeongsang and Sejong recorded 2, based on instrumental intensity.

According to the KMA, an intensity level of 4 means “many people indoors feel the shaking, and dishes and windows may rattle.” Level 3 is “noticeable to people on upper floors, and parked vehicles may shake slightly,” and level 2 is “felt only by a few people in quiet locations or on upper floors.”

The quake occurred in a seismically active area. The region experienced a magnitude 5.2 earthquake on Sept. 16, 1978, and has since had over 130 earthquakes with magnitudes of 2.0 or higher within a 50-kilometer radius of Wednesday’s epicenter.

It was also the third strongest earthquake to hit the Korean Peninsula and surrounding waters this year. The strongest so far occurred on Children’s Day, May 5, when a magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck 52 kilometers northwest of Taean County, South Chungcheong.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]