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| A firefighting helicopter puts out fires near Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Sunday, as a series of wildfires have burned some 15,420 hectares of woodland over the weekend. Yonhap |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Wildfires in the eastern region of Korea have burned approximately 15,420 hectares of forest as of Sunday afternoon, according Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
The burnt area is equivalent to 53 times the size of Seoul's Yeouido (290 hectares) ― or 21,597 soccer fields ― and the fire has destroyed over 463 structures.
More than 7,300 people have been evacuated in order to avoid the fires, though no casualties were reported. An 86-year-old woman was reported to have died while evacuating in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, but authorities are looking into the exact connection between her death and the wildfire.
The UIjin blaze began on Friday morning near a mountain in Uljin County and spread north to Samcheok City in the afternoon. Five more wildfires broke out across the country in five different regions: Gangneung City and Yeongweol County in Gangwon Province, Geumjeong District in Busan City, Ansan City in Gyeonggi Province and Dalseong County in Daegu Metropolitan City.
The authorities have mobilized some 16,000 personnel, 834 firetrucks and 89 helicopters to contain the Uljin fire.
The fire had threatened Hanul Nuclear Power Plant in Uljin and the nation's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) production complex in Samcheok, as well as power transmission lines in the areas, but firefighters contained the blaze before it reached the facilities and no fire damage has been reported at either yet.
President Moon Jae-in on Sunday visited a makeshift shelter in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang Province, to check up on the situation and government support for the fire victims.
"The fastest way for the government to support the residents is to declare a special disaster zone and take part in the recovery efforts," Moon told the victims. He later gave the affected regions designation as special disaster zones, which guarantees state financial support for recovery work.
Meanwhile, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said some cultural properties have been damaged by the wildfires.
According to the CHA, Eodalsan Bongsudae, a fire signaling beacon from the 918-1392 Goryeo Kingdom in Gangwon Province, was harmed by the fire, but the extent of the damage has not yet been revealed since the authorities could not approach the site as of Sunday afternoon.
The CHA is also working to prevent additional fire damage to cultural and natural heritage sites including the Geumgang Pine Habitat of Uljin, as well as Uljin's Silla-era Buryeong Temple which houses five state-designated cultural properties, and Buryeong Valley around the temple, designated as a Scenic Site.
