A magnitude 3 earthquake was detected in eastern North Korea on Saturday, but it appears to be a naturally occurring one, South Korea's weather agency said.

The earthquake took place at 12:18 p.m. in areas of North Korea's Gangwon province near the inter-Korean border, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

"The quake seems to be a naturally occuring earthquake," the agency said.

On Thursday, a 2.6-magnitude quake was detected in North Korea's southwestern province of Hwanghae, it said. (Yonhap)