South Korea wildfires: government declares national disaster
At least one person has died and thousands have fled their homes as blaze engulfs border region
The South Korean government has declared a natural disaster as raging wildfires in the northeast of the country force thousands of residents to flee their homes.
At least one person is reported to have died in the blaze, which broke out in Goseong county in Gangwon Province, a mountainous region close to the border with North Korea, on Thursday evening.
Authorities believe the fire began with a spark from an electrical transformer, which was then fanned by strong winds.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As the blaze spread to residential areas, “some 4,000 people were evacuated to emergency shelters set up at nearby schools and gyms”, reports The Korea Herald.
According to The Korea Times, a 60-year-old man has died as a result of the fire, and another person was seriously injured. More than 30 people have been treated for minor injuries.
“Apocalyptic images on television and social media showed walls of flame lighting up the night, buildings ablaze, and clouds of smoke billowing across hillsides during the day,” says Channel News Asia.
Hundreds of properties are reported to have been destroyed as flames engulfed several residential areas, along with an estimated 250 hectares of forest.
Thousands of soldiers have been drafted in to help firefighters battle the blaze, aided by 32 military helicopters and more than 800 extra fire engines borrowed from brigades around the country, reports the BBC.
This morning, Gangwon Province Governor Choi Moon-soon told the media that the main fire has been brought under control but that smaller blazes continued to burn.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has travelled to the region to meet residents evacuated from their homes.
“Moon and his staff wore yellow jackets, which symbolise situations of national emergency,” according to Channel News Asia.
The Gangwon wildfires mark the first time Seoul has declared a natural disaster since 2007, when a crude oil carrier leaked thousands of tonnes of oil into the sea off the country’s west coast.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake: how real is the feud?
In the spotlight Beef between Californian rapper and Canadian hip-hop star goes 'nuclear' with diss tracks full of serious allegations
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Eurovision 2024: how is politics playing out in Sweden?
Today's big question World's most popular song contest 'has always been politically charged' but 'this year perhaps more so than ever'
By The Week UK Published
-
'Trump's Tahoe tryst'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Costa Rica's renewable energy success could be under threat
Under the radar Central American nation generates nearly all its electricity from renewable sources but climate change is bringing huge challenges
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Ottawa climate talks: can global plastic problem be solved?
In the spotlight Nations aim to draft world's first treaty on plastic pollution, but resistance from oil- and gas-producing countries could limit scope
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How the EU undermines its climate goals with animal farming subsidies
Under the radar Bloc's agricultural policy incentivises carbon-intensive animal farming over growing crops, despite aims to be carbon-neutral
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Can the world really wean itself off coal?
Today's Big Question 'Record' global consumption is set to fall soon but growing demand in China and India could increase tensions
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The microplastics hurricanes blowing across North America
Under the Radar New research confirms global pervasiveness of harmful microplastic pollution
By The Week Staff Published
-
What can Cop28 really achieve?
Today's Big Question Climate summit in UAE proves controversial as UN warns world is falling short of global warming targets
By The Week UK Published
-
A23a: why world's biggest iceberg is on the move
The Explainer The mass of ice is four times the size of New York and 'essentially' an island
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published