Earthquakes exceeding magnitude 6.5 unlikely in Korea: meteorological chief

South Korea's meteorological chief on Tuesday said strong earthquakes exceeding magnitude 6.5 are unlikely to occur in South Korea although more moderate temblors can happen at anytime.

A record magnitude-5.8 earthquake struck the southern part of the country late Monday, causing public concerns. South Korea does not lie on any fault lines and has been relatively untouched by serious seismic activities compared with neighboring Japan.

Ko Yun-hwa, who heads the Korea Meteorological Administration, said the Gyeongju earthquake is over.

Ko Yun-hwa, head of the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) (Yonhap)

"The effect of the quake has effectively ended," the official said during a meeting attended by government policymakers and lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party. "But earthquakes of magnitudes higher than 6 could happen in the future."

Ko, however, made clear that South Korea is still safe from larger quakes.

The meteorological chief also said the aftershock of Monday's earthquake may continue for a few more days, adding the KMA will continue to keep a watchful eye on the matter.

The official then said the cause of the earthquake remains controversial, with some citing the massive quake that struck Japan in March 2011 affecting the Korean Peninsula. (Yonhap)