SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- All nuclear power plants in South Korea are operating normally without being affected by a magnitude 3.1 earthquake that struck off the southwestern coast Sunday, authorities said.

The quake was detected 21 kilometers west of the southwestern county of Haenam at 6:43 a.m. and the seismic readings at all nuclear plants fell short of the minimum needed to trigger an alarm, according to the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission also said no safety issues arose at any nuclear reactor facility. The Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant, the closest to the earthquake's epicenter at a distance of approximately 83 km, had a seismic reading of 0.0032g, far below its seismic design standard of 0.2g, it said.

hague@yna.co.kr

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