Korean Meteorological Administration Upgrades AI Earthquake Warnings... "Responding to Impacts of Major Earthquakes in Neighboring Countries"

[Financial News]  
The Korean Meteorological Administration is moving to upgrade its earthquake warning system using artificial intelligence (AI) and establish a response system that also covers the impact on South Korea of major earthquakes occurring in neighboring countries. It is also exploring ways to expand earthquake information services that people can directly experience, including intensity-based impact information reflecting actual shaking by region, rather than earthquake magnitude alone, and responses to long-period ground motion caused by overseas earthquakes.
The Korean Meteorological Administration held the "National Assembly Policy Forum on Advancing Earthquake Disaster Response 10 Years After the Gyeongju Earthquake" at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 17th to discuss ways to advance the country's earthquake response system. The forum was hosted by Lee Yongwoo and Kim Tae-sun of the National Assembly Committee on Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor, and was attended by about 70 people, including officials from the National Assembly, academia, research institutes, the media and relevant agencies.
The forum was organized to review how the national earthquake disaster response system had changed over the 10 years since the magnitude 5.8 Gyeongju Earthquake on September 12, 2016, and to explore future response strategies. Building an earthquake observation network optimized for the Korean Peninsula and identifying new earthquake information services were also discussed as key priorities.
The use of AI for earthquake warnings was a particular focus of the discussions. Experts presented domestic and international trends and development directions for AI-based earthquake warning systems, along with changes in the domestic and global earthquake environment, assessments of earthquake risks on the Korean Peninsula, and earthquake safety strategies for the next 10 years.
Providing information based on earthquake intensity, which shows actual shaking and its effects in each area, in addition to earthquake magnitude, was also proposed as a future priority. Lee Yongwoo said, "Because the few seconds secured before seismic waves arrive can mean the difference between life and death, it is time to shift to intensity-centered warnings that tell people the level of risk at the site where they are standing."
Some participants also pointed out that the accuracy of observation equipment and data must be improved alongside the development of an AI-based warning system. Kim Tae-sun emphasized that accurate observation data are the starting point for rapid and reliable earthquake warnings, stressing the need to revise the Earthquake Observation Act to strengthen the verification system for earthquake observation equipment and quality control throughout the data lifecycle.
The forum also discussed expanding the scope of response from domestic earthquakes to overseas earthquakes. Participants examined how to respond to the risk of long-period ground motion that could affect high-rise buildings and other structures in South Korea when major earthquakes occur in neighboring countries, as well as ways to expand overseas earthquake information services. The development of information services that communicate regional earthquake impacts based on intensity was also included in the discussions.
Lee Mi-sun, head of the Korean Meteorological Administration, said, "The 9/12 Gyeongju Earthquake served as a turning point that made Korean society acutely aware of the importance of earthquake response. We will thoroughly prepare for the next 10 years by building response capabilities that cover not only domestic earthquakes but also the effects of major earthquakes in neighboring countries, thereby protecting the lives and property of the people from earthquakes."

[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter