World Map › Asia › South Korea
Country
Map of South Korea
Asia · Seoul
South Korea spans the Amur and Eurasian plates. It has 2 volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years, 0 of which have erupted since 1900. Since 1900, 5 major earthquakes have been recorded, causing at least 1 deaths. Its exposure to natural hazards is 6.0 out of 10 (INFORM index), a high level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 2.0 out of 10.
- Capital
- Seoul
- Population
- 51,466,201
- Area
- 100,295 km²
- Continent
- Asia
Tectonic Plates
Natural Hazards
Exposure to natural hazards according to the European Commission's INFORM index, from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), overall and for each type of hazard.
Overall Risk Index
This overall score combines hazard exposure with the vulnerability of the population (1.5 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (1.3 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 99,325to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 69to tsunamis
- 4,246,607to hurricane-force winds (category 1 and above)
- 285,980to river floods
- 74,941to coastal floods
Overall Risk Index Over Time
Hazard Levels
Hazard level assessed by ThinkHazard! (World Bank, GFDRR), meaning the likelihood of a damaging event, from very low to high.
- Urban FloodHigh
- Coastal FloodHigh
- LandslideHigh
- VolcanoHigh
- CycloneHigh
- WildfireHigh
- TsunamiMedium
- Extreme HeatMedium
- River FloodLow
- EarthquakeLow
- Water ScarcityLow
Volcanoes (2)
Volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years; year of the last known eruption.
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 2016Gyeongju · M 5.41 deaths
Regions
Regions with volcanoes, major earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones or famous faults.
Tsunamis
5 major tsunamis have reached South Korea since 1900, killing 3 people in the country. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 1983Tsunami (Japan) · 5.0 m3 deaths
- 1993Tsunami (Japan) · 2.8 m
- 2024Tsunami (Japan) · 0.8 m
- 1964Tsunami (Japan) · 0.2 m
- 2022Tsunami (Tonga) · 0.2 m
Tropical Cyclones
49 major tropical cyclones have made landfall in South Korea since 1950. The deadliest and most powerful are listed below.
- 2018Typhoon Soulik · 89 km/h86 deaths
- 2015Typhoon Soudelor · 0 km/h59 deaths
- 1986Typhoon Abby · 0 km/h13 deaths
- 1959Typhoon Sarah · 181 km/h
- 2003Typhoon Maemi · 163 km/h
- 1995Typhoon Faye · 154 km/h
- 2022Typhoon Hinnamnor · 139 km/h
- 2020Typhoon Haishen · 139 km/h
- 2020Typhoon Maysak · 139 km/h
- 2012Typhoon Sanba · 130 km/h
Sources : Natural Earth · Wikidata · INFORM Risk Index (1 September 2026 v 0.7.3), Commission européenne, CC BY 4.0 · NOAA NCEI · ThinkHazard!, GFDRR, CC BY · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution