South Korea’s Eastern Coast Experiences Tsunami Following Earthquake in Japan

South Korea’s east coast experienced a tsunami measuring under one meter (3.3 ft) in the aftermath of a substantial earthquake that struck Japan on Monday, as reported by South Korea’s meteorological agency. The initial tsunami on South Korea’s coast measured 67 cm (2.2 ft), but the agency cautioned that it might amplify in size in the coming hours and persist for more than 24 hours.

A 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit north central Japan on Monday, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue a tsunami warning for the western coastal regions of Ishikawa, Niigata, and Toyama prefectures. Simultaneously, North Korea issued tsunami warnings for its coast, anticipating waves exceeding 2 meters, as reported by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, citing the North’s state radio.

South Korea’s Gangwon province issued warnings, urging residents to take precautions and evacuate to higher ground, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety. Emergency messages advised residents on the east coast to stay away from the shore and move to higher ground. The city of Samcheok recommended seeking areas higher than three-storey buildings, the ministry conveyed.

Following the earthquake, reports from the region indicated extensive destruction, with social media videos depicting road cracks and severely damaged houses. Official information on the extent of destruction was not immediately available as authorities prioritized evacuation efforts from the coastal areas.

The weather agency suggested that tsunamis up to 5 meters high could reach Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture. NHK reported waves over 1 meter high hitting the coast of Wajima City in Ishikawa Prefecture.

In response to the seismic event, Hokuriku Electric Power reported checking for irregularities at its nuclear power plants, according to NHK. Despite initial concerns, the government indicated no abnormalities had been reported so far, allaying fears of a nuclear disaster akin to the 2011 Fukushima incident.

The region, housing multiple nuclear reactors, raised concerns about a potential nuclear disaster, particularly due to parallels with the 2011 earthquake that damaged Japan’s Fukushima nuclear reactor.

However, the government, as reported by news agency AFP, assured that no abnormalities had been reported so far. Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed, “It has been confirmed that there are no abnormalities at Shika nuclear power plant (in Ishikawa) and other stations as of now.”

In the wake of the earthquake, Russia declared tsunami warnings for parts of Sakhalin island’s western coast and the mainland Primorsk and Khabarovsk regions, which are in close proximity to Japan along Russia’s Pacific seaboard, according to state news agency TASS citing officials.

Following the massive earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 in central Japan, triggering a tsunami warning and advisories for evacuation, Russian media quoted authorities in Vladivostok’s Primorsk region, advising anyone in local waters to “urgently return to the shore.” TASS reported that authorities in Sakhalin and Khabarovsk regions deemed the wave not life-threatening.

Contrary to earlier reports, Russia’s emergencies ministries denied ongoing evacuation efforts in at-risk areas on Sakhalin, emphasizing that such measures were not underway.