Powerful earthquake in Russia's far east unlikely to affect South Korea

A flooded area in Severo-Kurilsk Russia is seen in this image from a video released by the Russian Academy of Sciences on July 30 2025 — An area in Severo-Kurilsk, Russia is flooded, in this video grab from the Russian Academy of Sciences on July 30, 2025.

SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - South Korea is unlikely to be affected by a powerful earthquake that struck off Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, the Korea Meteorological Administration said on Wednesday.

The 8.7-magnitude earthquake, which struck the area at around 8:30 a.m., prompted multiple tsunami warnings and evacuation orders in Japan and other nearby Pacific countries.

"We expect no direct impact on the Korean Peninsula," a KMA official said. "But given the magnitude of the quake, we are closely monitoring the situation."

The massive quake is one of the strongest in recent years, but South Korea is far from the epicenter, with Japan in between, reducing direct seismic and tsunami risks.

Since 2000, about 27 earthquakes with a magnitude of 8.0 or higher have occurred globally, with at least one per year except during the period from 2022 to 2024, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Seismologists estimate that Wednesday's quake was theoretically 89,000 times stronger than the 5.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the historic southern city of Gyeongju in 2016, the country's strongest on record.

Im Yoon-seo lyseo0330@ajupress.com