The Argus found that HUFS is not safe from earthquakes. The buildings do not have earthquake-resistant designs, and there are no manuals instructing how to deal with earthquakes. If another earthquake happens before we improve the buildings and the system, we cannot be sure of students’ safety. Then, are universities in other countries well prepared for earthquakes? The Argus met with four students from Indonesia, Italy, Japan and Korea, and discussed how their governments and universities prepare for earthquakes.

The Argus: Please introduce yourself.
Octika: Hello, I am Octika Adinda. I am an exchange student from Indonesia. I study Industrial Engineering at the University of Indonesia.
Kana: Hello, My name is Sim Kana, and I am from Japan. I am an exchange student from Kyoto University of Foreign Studies.
Dong-hyuk: Hello, I am Son Dong-hyuk and I am studying Vietnamese at HUFS.
Enrico: Hello, I am Enrico Azzerllo. I major in International Studies at HUFS.

The Argus: What do people in your country think of earthquakes?
Octika: Indonesians feel a great deal of anxiety regarding earthquakes. In 2004, a 9.0 earthquake happened and an enormous tsunami killed 200,000 people. As you know, Indonesia consists of 1,300 islands, so when an earthquake strikes there is a great possibility of a tsunami which could harm many people. That is why people think of earthquakes as huge disasters.

Kana: For Japanese people, earthquakes are a part of our daily lives. Small and big earthquakes happen frequently in Japan so people do not react much to them. Also people know exactly how to behave when an earthquake occurs so they respond calmly during such occurrences. 

Dong-hyuk: Koreans rarely experience earthquakes. So for Koreans, earthquake is a disaster that might happen in fictions or movies, but not in real life. Actually, there have been earthquakes but the damage was not as serious as in other countries, so Koreans usually do not think of earthquakes seriously. That is why many Koreans felt afraid and were flustered when the recent earthquake took place suddenly.

Enrico: Unlike Koreans, Italians accept earthquakes very realistically. Earthquakes in Italy happen frequently because of the movement of the African Plate. My whole country is located in a place where there is a high possibility of an earthquake, so we always need to be on guard. Italy has many old buildings including ancient ruins, so when earthquakes befall, the damage to cultural relics is considerable. Because of cultural loss and casualties, Italians are deeply concerned about earthquakes.

The Argus: Do the universities in your country implement seismic loading and arrange manuals to prepare for earthquakes?
Octika: Indonesian universities carry out many drills in compliance with manuals. Of course earthquake drills are included. All students take an active part in those drills. However, the drills are not being done because of national laws. They are conducted based on individual schools’ policies. So whether a school holds earthquake drills or not varies by school. The university that I attend does drills once or twice a year.
However, most of the universities in my country are not designed to resist earthquakes. The government advises the universities to do seismic loading but it is not being done well because it is expensive to do so.

Kana: Unlike Indonesian universities, all of the buildings including those of universities have seismic loading. However, universities in Japan do not have earthquake drills. This is because Japanese people are well-informed as to how to respond to an earthquake with earthquake drills beginning in kindergarten. So the government believes that students attending universities do not need such drills. People in my country react with equanimity even though earthquakes occur suddenly because the earthquake response systems are well equipped and students comply with them well.
Dong-hyuk: Universities in Korea have neither regular drills for earthquakes nor manuals. In short, there is no response system in universities. Also, whether the buildings have seismic loading varies even within the same campus. Newly built buildings have seismic loading but old buildings with historical value do not.

Enrico: Schools in Italy also do earthquake drills once or twice a semester like Japanese schools do. I think the Italian government regards Japan as a role model and imitates their earthquake response system. Also in 2007, the government made a law regarding seismic loading and made all of the school buildings implement seismic loading within the following six years. For this law to take effect, the government offered 120 million euros in support.

The Argus: Do you have any requests of your university or the government regarding earthquakes?
Octika: My university does have earthquake drills, but the system leaves much to be desired. Drills are not being done regularly. I believe that drills can be effective only when they are being done periodically. Also I think the drills could be more effective if they were done nationally and all the universities participated.

Kana: I am confident that my country has the perfect system to respond well to earthquakes. For example, all citizens receive messages within several seconds when an earthquake hits. Also, as I said before, the buildings have seismic loading and regular drills are being done in our schools. I think it would not be a bad thing if the manuals and drills were being observed even in universities. If Japanese universities have earthquake drills like Indonesia, the damage could be additionally minimized when a powerful earthquake takes place.

Dong-hyuk: Comparing Korea to Japan, the cycle of earthquake occurrence in Korea is different from Japan so we cannot make our system the same as Japan’s. However, I believe that Korea must selectively learn things from Japan. For example, when an earthquake happened recently, Koreans were angry because they got the message informing about its occurance 12 minutes after its occurance, and the message was sent only to a small number of citizens. I want my country to have a well-organized response system that can help people respond quickly and act with composure like Japan.
Also, unlike all of your countries, children in our country do not learn how to react when the situation occurs so even after becoming an adult we do not know how to react. I think drills in Korean universities are necessary. In this respect, Korean universities should learn from Indonesian universities.

Enrico: I think Italian universities also need earthquake drills like Indonesian universities, particularly since 95 percent of Italian universities are public universities. I think the management at the national level could be easier than in the rest of your countries. Also I want the government to implement seismic loading at historic sites.

The Argus: Based on your country’s earthquake response system, how should Korea  change its system?
Octika: I think Korean universities should have earthquake manuals and drills like us. Responses in facilities that accommodate many people can be more difficult than in other areas. Actually, although we have earthquake manuals and drills, the damage is still serious. Having manuals and drills is not an option. It is a must. 
 
Kana: As Dong-hyuk said before, Koreans were very angry because of the late message they received regarding the earthquake if they even received one. Korea is not safe from earthquakes anymore so the government should strengthen the information delivery system with technology development and supplement workers. 

Dong-hyuk: I envy Japan because of its response education system starting from kindergarten. I also think Japanese students participate actively in earthquakes drills. In addition, many buildings in Korea are not designed to be earthquake resistant. Of course, there has not been any serious damage as a result of earthquakes yet, but there is no such guarantee that will remain the case. Therefore, I think seismic loading should at least be implemented at educational institutes.

Enrico: Korean universities do not have earthquake response manuals. If it is hard to have manuals in universities, like in Italy there should be manuals for the elementary, middle and high schools at the least. Practicing evacuations can be very helpful.

Reporter of National Section