This study examined the validity of the level of the earthquake load defined in the Korea specification for the tower crane which utilized the equivalent static load. The specification on the structure and performance of tower crane defined that the earthquake load should be considered as a horizontal load corresponding to 15 % of a crane self weight. However, this definition did not reflect the vibration characteristic including frequencies of the tower crane. Thus, it is necessary to carry out a study on the earthquake behavior of tower cranes that reflected the dynamic characteristic of earthquake loads and tower cranes. it was thought that the level of earthquake load defined in equivalent static analysis for the tower crane did not reflect the structural behavior of the tower crane correctly by overestimating the response from tower crane.