Nuclear plants operating normally after magnitude 3.1 earthquake off South Korea's southwest coast

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck off South Korea's southwestern coast on Sunday, prompting authorities to confirm that all nuclear power plants in the country are operating normally and were unaffected by the tremor.

The quake was detected 21 kilometers west of the southwestern county of Haenam at 6:43 a.m., according to the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. The company said seismic readings at all nuclear plants fell short of the minimum level needed to trigger an alarm.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission also reported that no safety issues arose at any nuclear reactor facility.

According to the commission, the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant, the closest facility to the earthquake's epicenter at a distance of approximately 83 km, recorded a seismic reading of 0.0032g — far below its seismic design standard of 0.2g.

Authorities did not report any damage or disruption to power generation as a result of the earthquake.