The red line indicates the search rate for a keyword 'survival bags' and the blue line indicates the search rate for a keyword 'emergency bags'. [Google Trends]
Alarmed by an earthquake that jolted South Korea this month, an online search on Google using keywords such as "Survival Bags" has spiked, coupled with brisk sales of safety gear, lanterns, instant noodles and bottled water.
The magnitude-5.8 quake on September 12 killed nobody but left dozens of injuries. The tremor was felt across South Korea with its epicenter in Gyeongju about 280 kilometers (173 miles) southeast of Seoul. It was the strongest quake to date since South Korea started collecting related data.
"I've never been so scared in my life," said 59-year old Park Ki-sook, who lives in Busan about 75 kilometers south of Gyeongju. "My house was shaking terribly. I find hard to sleep at night because I fear there may be another earthquake."
A survival bag being sold on a South Korean online store. [Courtesy of ALNET Store]
For ten days, the region in and around Gyeongju has been rattled by hundreds of aftershocks, sparking widespread fears and groundless rumors because many South Koreans have long believed that the peninsula was free from powerful earthquakes.
Interest in preparations for an emergency or natural disasters has, of course, surged, leading to a brisk online search for survival bags -- backpacks filled with food, water, a first-aid kit, and other equipment vital for surviving in extreme conditions.
A 35-year old businessman Kim Kyo-suk now carries a backpack filled with survival equipment such as a hatchet, a first-aid kit, climbing ropes, and a small portion of emergency rations to work. "Without the equipment, I felt so helpless. But now I am fine. I think I can survive under any circumstances," Kim said.
According to Google Trends, the rate of using one particular keyword "Survival Bags" searched on Google had spiked for days at the initial stage. The rate slowed down a little afterward but surged again after a relatively strong 4.5-magnitude aftershock struck on September 19.
Actual sales of survival bags have increased by four times a week after the initial quake and 10 times after the September 19 tremor, according to South Korea's main online shopping mall "11st".
Sales of safety gear have also seen a sudden increase. Masks were sold more than seven times its usual number on another online shopping mall, "Tmon", amid lingering public fears and predictions by seismologists that there could be more earthquakes.
Aju News Park Sae-jin = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
