By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
A high-profile figure skating competition, featuring South Korean teenage sensation Kim Yu-na and other top stars, was canceled by organizers after a fire broke out at its venue ice rink in western Seoul Friday.
Area residents were alarmed to see Mokdong Ice Rink engulfed in flames and smoke around noon, as the fire burned about one-sixth of the 3,000 square meter dome surface before firefighters put it out half an hour later.
There were about 270 people in the building - including professionals such as Korean male skater Lee Dong-hoon and a group of 150 elementary school children taking lessons - who all managed to be evacuated safely in time.
The fire forced the cancellation of the ``Hyundai Card Super Match V Superstars on Ice,'' which was scheduled for Sept. 14-16. Japan's Miki Ando, who beat Kim for the gold medal at the World Championships in March, and Russian Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko were among the foreign stars who accepted their invitations to the event.
``The fire seems to have caused no significant structural damage to the ice rink that would require drastic efforts to repair but we are not willing to take this risk nonetheless,'' said an official from Hyundai Card's organizing team.
``We will refund all tickets purchased by cash and cancel payments by credit cards from fans who purchased the seats through the Internet,'' he said.