A magnitude 3-point-8 earthquake hit 38 kilometers off South Korea's east coast on Monday,... bringing the number of quakes in the region this year to three.
Fortunately all have struck under water and haven't caused much damage on land.
However, people in South Korea are naturally concerned over the frequency of the earthquakes.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
On February 10th,... an earthquake packing a magnitude of 4.1 hit off the coast of Pohang.
On April 19th,... a magnitude 4.3 quake struck off the coast of Donghae, Gangwon-do Province.
And just three days later, on Monday,... a magnitude 3.8 earthquake hit off the coast of Uljin County, Gyeongsangnam-do Province,... bringing the number of earthquakes in the East Sea in 2019 to three.
This part of the East Sea is becoming an area of concern for Koreans,... with the three strongest earthquakes this season all happening in the same region.
But what could be the reason?
"Thirty million years ago, when Japan separated into an island, the top layer and the continental crust split, creating the oceanic crust. Stress builds up and it's enough to cause earthquakes in the region."
Others say that, with major earthquakes regularly hitting Japan,... the oceanic crust is undergoing more stress, causing the frequency of earthquakes to increase in the region.
Seismologists worry such trends increase the chance of an earthquake with a magnitude of 6 to 6.5 to strike in the region in the future.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.