An earthquake of magnitude 3.1 occurred at 6:43 a.m. today (August 23) in an area 21 kilometers west-northwest of Haenam-gun, South Jeolla Province.

This is the strongest earthquake to occur on and around the Korean Peninsula this year.

The depth of the epicenter was estimated at 21 kilometers.

In the west-northwest area of Haenam, earthquakes of magnitude 2.0 or higher have occurred seven times over the past ten days.

Earlier at 1:44 a.m. today, a magnitude 2.2 earthquake occurred in waters 79 kilometers east of Seogwipo, Jeju.

No damage has been reported in connection with either earthquake.