Seventeen more cases of damage have been found on historical artifacts following the Gyeongju earthquake Monday, bringing the total to 97, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Wednesday.

The additional damage includes a crack on the sitting stone Buddha statue (Gwanbong Seokjo Yeorae-jwasang) on Palgongsan near Daegu, damage to the walls of the Daegwangjeon Hall in Yangsan’s Sinheungsa Temple and gaps in stone pagodas on Gyeongju’s Namsan.

Cheomseongdae Observatory was also found with additional damage following the 4.5 magnitude aftershock that occurred Monday, CHA said. The southern side of the tower’s sharp-shaped top stone has been dislocated 3.8 centimeters to the north.

Previously, the observatory was found to have leaned 2 centimeters farther north and with a 5-centimeter gap on the southeast corner of its upper stone following the quake last week. 


Some 234 people -- including members of groups that specialize in artifact restoration -- are currently working on repairs at Pyochungsa Temple in Miryang, Seongnamsa Temple in Wulju and Dokrakdang and Sungdeokjeon Shrine in Gyeongju, the CHA said.

Regarding repairs of the Cheomseongdae Observatory and Bulguksa Temple’s Dabotap Pagoda -- whose banister was displaced in last week’s quake -- the CHA will take cautious steps with a team of experts after a thorough inspection, it said.

Over 420 aftershocks have shook Korea’s southeastern city of Gyeongju since an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale struck there on Sept. 12.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)