President Moon Jae-in on Friday made a surprise visit to the eastern city of Goseong, where more than 10,000 firefighters and military personnel have gathered to put out a massive fire that started the day before.
Moon's trip to the site of the fire came hours after he ordered the government to consider designating Goseong and other affected places as special disaster zones, which would entitle the areas and their residents to special government support.
The government earlier declared a national state of emergency, a move aimed at ensuring faster mobilization of government resources necessary to fight what local authorities have called an "unprecedented disaster."
The move came after the blaze engulfed vast areas in five cities and counties along the eastern coast.
More than 800 fire engines and 13,000 firefighters and rescue workers, including ones from the military, have been mobilized from around the entire nation.
Still, one person has been confirmed killed and 11 others injured after initial efforts to contain the fire were frustrated by strong gusts of wind spreading it to other areas in the heavily forested region in Gangwon Province.
The fire that began in Goseong, 160 kilometers east of Seoul, has since spread to four other nearby cities and counties, including two famous resort cities of Sokcho and Gangneung, according to earlier reports.
More than 380 hectares of land are estimated to have been devastated and 300 houses and buildings destroyed by the fire that broke out shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday. (Yonhap)