Background

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The Active Fault and Earthquake Hazard Mitigation Research Institute (AFEMI) is an institute operating at Pukyong National University, Republic of Korea. The AFEMI was founded in 2017 in response to a series of earthquakes with magnitudes over 5 in Gyeongju and Pohang. These events have heightened national interest in earthquakes and underscored the need for technological advancements to mitigate earthquake-related disasters, leading to a widespread consensus on this necessity.

In advanced countries, research institutes that study and prevent natural disasters are actively operating. Earthquakes and related research are particularly active in nations situated along plate boundaries. However, the research and understanding of the characteristics of earthquakes were still in the early stages, and there was a shortage of researchers and experts in this field because the Korean peninsula has been considered as a tectonically and seismologically safe region. Therefore, there was a need for an institution that could conduct specialized earthquake research and train experts. AFEMI was established to fulfill these roles, especially focusing on tracing and characterizing active faults and deciphering earthquake occurrence mechanisms.