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Silent if not deadly: Quake emergency alerts to be limited to areas hit hardest

Published: 04 Nov. 2025, 16:08 Updated: 04 Nov. 2025, 18:17

A meteorological official at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Meteorology in Suwon, Gyeonggi, displays information about a magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck Buan, North Jeolla, on June 12, 2024. [YONHAP]

Starting next month, people living in Korea will no longer receive blaring earthquake alerts in areas where little to no shaking is felt, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said on Tuesday. The agency plans to send emergency alerts only to regions where tremors are strong enough to be felt inside vehicles.

The KMA announced that beginning in December, earthquake alerts will be divided into two types — loud emergency disaster messages and safety guidance messages — depending on the expected intensity of shaking by region.

When a quake measuring magnitude 3.5 to 4.9 occurs on land or 4 to 4.9 offshore, and the maximum expected intensity reaches level 5 or higher, emergency disaster messages will be sent to cities, counties or districts where the expected intensity is level 3 or higher, the KMA said. Areas with an expected intensity of level 2 will receive safety guidance messages instead. Previously, emergency alerts were sent to all regions expected to experience intensity level 2 or higher.

At level 3 intensity, people indoors — especially on higher floors — can clearly feel the shaking, and parked vehicles may move slightly. At level 2, only a few people, usually indoors and in quiet conditions, can sense the tremor.

Students take cover under desks during an earthquake drill at a middle school in Gangbuk District, northern Seoul, as part of a comprehensive emergency response drill on Oct. 22. [NEWS1]

The KMA adjusted its alert criteria after repeated complaints from the public, who were startled by loud alerts even when quakes were too weak to feel. During a Feb. 7 earthquake in Chungju, North Chungcheong, earlier this year, emergency alerts were sent as far as Seoul in the middle of the night, waking many residents despite minimal shaking.

Yeon Hyuk-jin, director of the KMA’s Earthquake and Volcano Bureau, said there had been questions over whether it was necessary to send loud emergency alerts to areas where only a small number of people could feel the tremor.

"The agency decided to implement the change by the end of the year to minimize public inconvenience," Yeon said.

The map shows how the Korea Meteorological Administration’s earthquake alert system will change, using a quake in Chungju, North Chungcheong, as an example. In the right map, blue areas represent regions that will receive safety guidance messages for level 2 intensity, while red areas indicate regions that will receive emergency disaster alerts for level 3 intensity. [KOREA METEOROLOGICAL ADMINISTRATION]

The KMA will also improve its early warning system to deliver faster alerts to areas near the epicenter.

The agency plans to merge its remote earthquake warning system, currently piloted at 36 key national facilities including nuclear power plants, with its existing early warning network to launch a new integrated system next year. The upgrade will enable warnings to reach quake-prone areas within three to five seconds after detection.

The KMA said the new system is expected to reduce the “blind spot” for earthquake warnings near epicenters by about 75 percent.

"The changes aim to provide faster and more accurate information so people can recognize danger quickly and evacuate safely," said Lee Mi-seon, administrator of the KMA.

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 CHON KWON-PIL [[email protected]]