July 31, 1668 Tsunami: Yellow Sea, North Korea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake began at Yellow Sea, North Korea on July 31, 1668. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- July 31, 1668
- Source
- Yellow Sea, North Korea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.4
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 38.000° N, 126.000° E
The toll
- Deaths
- Few (about 1 to 50)
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #414:
1668, July 31. Validity 2. There was an earthquake (38 N, 126 E) in North Korea. It was felt all over the western part of the country. A tsunami was observed on the western coast of P'yongyan, including Ch'olsan. The tsunami flooded the land, people died and homes were destroyed. No other details are available.
Reference #150:
1668, July 31, validity 1. No quake description. From Keishodo and Zenrado to Kokaido and Heiando, namely from southern part to northern area of almost west half Korea was affected and Tetsuzan in Heiando inundated. This event probably storm surge. Kanbun 8, June, big storm and rain in NW of Japan.
Reference #79:
1668, July 31. Tsunami source W. coast Korea. Tsunami observed on west coast of Korea, Heiando and Tetsuzan.
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tetsuzan | North Korea | 43 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Cholsan | North Korea | 229 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1668The 1600sTsunamis of North KoreaThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 301.