Headlines in Korea

You'd think that with the proximity of Seoul to North Korea and the whole DMZ situation, there would be regular headlines about the conflict. Or perhaps the economy and exchange rates and such. Maybe the latest typhoon to blow through the peninsula. Check out a recent headline and article from the JoongAng Daily.

Gym rats shook TechnoMart: Owner

July 19, 2011

The mystery of what made a Seoul residential-commercial high-rise complex shake for 10 minutes, like in an earthquake, has been solved, according to its owner. The cause, according to TechnoMart owner Prime Group, was 17 middle-aged people in a 12th floor fitness center performing Tae Bo exercises, a mixture of boxing and taekwondo that became popular in the 1990s. And to prove it, Prime Group will stage a demonstration today to show that a bunch of middle-aged people exercising can shake a 39-story skyscraper. The top 19 floors of TechnoMart, which has apartments and a large shopping mall, shook for 10 minutes on July 5, prompting an evacuation of the building for two days. About 50,000 people usually visit the complex each day. “We will install tremor detectors on several floors above the 12th, and show how vibrations could be amplified by the Tae Bo, causing tremors,” said Park Hong-geun, a professor at Seoul National University who will participate in the demonstration, in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo. In the demonstration, 17 middle-aged people will do Tae Bo exercises to the same pop song that was playing July 5, “The Power” by Snap. However, none of the people who were exercising at the center on July 5 have volunteered to come back, in order to avoid media attention. “Another problem is that the Tae Bo teacher doing the workout when the building shook has disappeared,” Park said. “A group of experts have already carried out a series of experiments and partly proved the connection between the Tae Bo exercises and the high-rise building’s shaking,” Park said. Jeong Ran, a professor at Dankook University, said, “The total weight of the people who are expected to participate in the demonstration will be about 850 kilograms (1,873 pounds). But, actually, weight is not that important. Rhythm and music causes tremors. The demonstrators are now practicing how to dance to the beat of the music.” Other experts question the theory, saying people beneath the center should have felt the shaking. On July 5, tremors were felt above the 20th floor. By Lee Ji-sang, Kim Hee-jin [heejin@joongang.co.kr]