Artifacts damaged in record-breaking Gyeongju earthquake

Numerous historical sites in Gyeongju suffered damage ranging from severe to minor cracks during the earthquake that hit the city last Monday, the largest to be recorded on the Korean Peninsula.

The Cultural Heritage Administration, which is in charge of preserving the country’s cultural sites, announced Sunday that some 60 cultural assets have been damaged. Gyeongju, once the capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C. to 935) and located north of Busan on the southeastern coast of the peninsula, houses the country’s main trove of Silla artifacts, including 31 National Treasures.

Some 2.3 billion won ($2.04 million) will be allocated to emergency restoration, while teams of experts will lead the repair efforts, the Cultural Heritage Administration said.

Cheomseongdae Observatory, National Treasure No. 31, constructed in the early seventh century and Asia’s oldest extant astronomical observatory, was found leaning approximately 2 centimeters farther northward, while the gap at the southeastern corner of its hash-shaped upper stone has widened by an additional 5 centimeters, the Cultural Heritage Administration said in its latest statement. The tower was reported in 2014 to be leaning 20.5 centimeters northward from its original position due to the ground sinking.

A banister has been dislocated from the three-story Dabotap Pagoda, National Treasure No. 20 built in the eighth century. Standing at 10.4 meters tall, the three-story pagoda is one of the most famous features of Gyeongju’s Bulguksa Temple, which was designated a World Cultural Asset by UNESCO in 1995.

The banister was restored to its original state in 2009 by removing the cement that was used during the 1925 repairs made by the Japanese colonial authorities.

The granite stone temple Seokguram Grotto from the eighth century, National Treasure No. 24 and designated a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995, was found to be unharmed.

Cracks have been discovered on a number of other historical sites -- mainly on roof tiles and walls -- which the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Risk Management Division said are “not serious taking into consideration the magnitude of the earthquake.”

The earthquake that hit Gyeongju last Monday evening at 8:32 p.m. measured 5.8 on the Richter scale, the largest in the country since the Korea Meteorological Administration began monitoring seismic activities in 1978. The main earthquake was preceded by a 5.1-magnitude earthquake less than an hour earlier.

As of Sunday morning, some 352 aftershocks -- 15 of them stronger than magnitude 3.0 -- have been detected, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.

Typhoon worries

Full-fledged restoration efforts will be launched once Typhoon Malakas -- expected to reach Korea’s southernmost Jejudo on Wednesday -- has passed, an official at the Gyeongju City Government’s Cultural Heritage Division said.

Meanwhile, the city is attempting to prevent further damage by installing rainproof tents over some 45 historical sites, the official said. The tents are meant to cover cracks in stone structures to prevent rainwater from seeping in and softening their foundations. 

Typhoon Malakas originated west of Guam last Tuesday and was reported to be near Taiwan’s Taipei area as of Sunday morning. Korea’s southern regions are expecting heavy rains in the coming days with the state weather agency forecasting up to 150 millimeters of rain in the Gyeongju area until Sunday, along with strong winds and high tides of up to 6 meters off the southern coast.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)