Natural disasters, risk and migration: evidence from the 2017 Pohang earthquake in Korea

Abstract

Using the 2017 Pohang earthquake in South Korea as a natural experiment, we examined the responses of the population. By constructing a counterfactual of Pohang using synthetic controls, we found that the earthquake significantly decreased the local population. To investigate the mechanisms of population decrease, we gathered administrative data on the universe of address changes and self-reported reasons for migration. While out-migration due to changes in the residential environment increased significantly, job-related migration showed little change. This out-migration also led to a depreciation in rental housing prices. Our results suggest that local residents perceived the earthquake as a negative amenity.