The government said Thursday that a large-scale aftershock is likely to occur within a week following the magnitude four-point-eight earthquake that struck Buan County in North Jeolla Province on Wednesday.

Yi Han-kyung, the chief of the disaster management office at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said that the government formed the disaster response headquarters immediately after the earthquake to help minimize further damage.

Yi asked related ministries and local governments to maintain thorough preparedness, as experts predicted that a large-scale aftershock could occur within a week.

There have been 17 aftershocks reported following Wednesday's initial quake, with a total of 277 cases of facility damage reported so far.

The disaster management chief vowed to swiftly conduct safety inspections on damaged private facilities through a risk assessment team and take further safety measures to prevent secondary damage.