Japan’s Earthquake Scare: South Korea Considers Raising Travel Alerts Amid Growing Fears

The South Korean government is closely monitoring the possibility of a major earthquake in Japan and will consider raising the travel alert if necessary.

An official from South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “We are closely monitoring the situation on the ground and will carefully consider raising the travel alert level based on the Japanese government’s actions and trends in other major countries.”

This follows a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan, last week. In response, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a Nankai Trough Earthquake Temporary Information (Megaquake Alert) for the first time.

This alert indicates that the possibility of a large earthquake in the source region has become relatively higher than usual.

“Nankai Trough Earthquake Temporary Information (Beware of Giant Earthquake)” is issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency when it assesses that the likelihood of a major earthquake is higher than usual.

The Nankai Trough Earthquake is a massive earthquake originating from the plate boundary stretching from Shizuoka Prefecture to the offshore area of Miyazaki Prefecture. It has caused significant damage in the past and is one of the most feared earthquakes in Japan.

Historically, large earthquakes have occurred every 100 to 150 years in this region, with some cases, a megaquake followed within 32 hours or up to two years after the initial earthquake.