July 19th, 2011
07:51 AM ET

Scientist: Tae Bo workout sent skyscraper shaking

Seventeen people performing a vigorous Tae Bo workout caused tremors that forced the evacuation of a South Korean skyscraper earlier this month, the building's owners say.

Prime Group, owner of the 39-story TechnoMart commercial-residential high-rise in Seoul, said 17 middle-aged people were working out to the pop song "The Power" by Snap on July 5 when their movements set the upper floors of the tower shaking for 10 minutes, according to a report from the Korea JoongAng Daily.

Scientists recreated the event in the 12th floor gym, according to a report in the Korea Times.

“We observed the vibrometer while performing the same kind of aerobic exercise that was performed at the time of the shaking which occurred on July 5. We noticed that the shaking was felt in the upper floors while the exercise was being performed while no other place showed signs of tremor,” Chung Lan, a professor of architectural engineering at Dankook University, told the Korea Times.

“It just happens to be that the vibration cycle caused by Tae Bo collided with the vertical vibration cycle unique to the building,” Chung told the Korea Times. The action amplified the building's vibration and caused the shaking, he said.

Chung was one of six professors from the Architectural Institute of Korea who inspected the building and recreated the Tae Bo exercise.

Tae Bo is a mixture of boxing and tae kwon do.

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Filed under: South Korea • World
soundoff (322 Responses)
  1. Pete N

    Hey the video dont play seems some yank has decieded to block it in the UK re route needed PDQ

    July 20, 2011 at 3:13 am | Report abuse |
  2. Mary

    This is ridiculous. Who was the lousy architect of this building? I would never want to have a suite there.

    July 22, 2011 at 3:45 pm | Report abuse |
    • anonymuf

      Don't you mean to ask who cut corners during construction?

      July 27, 2011 at 4:23 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Mary

    Tai bogus.

    July 22, 2011 at 3:51 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Margroks

    I don't think it was the archetect; it is know that such vibrations can affect and even collapse structure. That's why soldiers marching break in sync stride when crossing bridges.

    July 25, 2011 at 8:42 am | Report abuse |
  5. Bill

    Can you say 'junk building'?

    July 25, 2011 at 4:48 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Jeremy

    Ever notice whenever there's a batsh-t crazy news story it's either China or somewhere in Korea?

    July 27, 2011 at 12:50 pm | Report abuse |
  7. J.J. the Monk

    Nikola Tesla – in his grave, clutching his earthquake machine – smiles.

    August 2, 2011 at 2:11 pm | Report abuse |
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