A total of 51 earthquakes struck the Korean Peninsula last year, with the strongest temblor measuring 5.1 in magnitude, the government said Sunday.

Last year's tally is slightly under the annual average of 52.9 quakes for the 10 years since 2005, according to the Ministry of Public Safety and Security.

The 5.1-magnitude earthquake, which was reported in waters about 100 kilometers northwest of the West Gyeongnyeolbi Archipelago off Taean on the central west coast on April 1, marked the fourth-strongest quake to hit the Korean Peninsula since seismic monitoring began in 1978.

Meanwhile, fewer accidents occurred at sea than the annual average for the five previous years, but more people were killed, largely as a result of the ferry Sewol's sinking in April, which claimed more than 300 lives, the ministry said. (Yonhap)