Raging wildfires have forced South Korea to relocate 15 national treasures and cultural artefacts, including wooden printing blocks and Buddha paintings, from major temples in the North Gyeongsang province to safer locations.
The relocated items include a seated stone Buddha from the now-destroyed Goun temple in Uiseong.
The Korea Heritage Service confirmed that Yeongsu Hall and Gaunru Pavilion at the Goun temple were destroyed, leaving only nine of its 30 buildings intact. So far, 15 heritage pieces have been damaged, with the hardest-hit areas being Uiseong, Andong and Cheongsong in North Gyeongsang.
These regions, home to historic temples and cultural sites, have suffered extensive fire damage, putting heritage structures and cultural artefacts at risk.
Authorities have covered key structures such as South Korea’s oldest wooden building, Geungnakjeon at the Bongjeong temple, with fire-retardant tarps and are monitoring two UNESCO sites at risk, Hahoe village and Byeongsan Seowon.
Multiple wildfires raging across the country’s southern regions have killed 26 people and destroyed over 300 structures so far, officials said.
Thousands of personnel and dozens of helicopters were deployed again on Thursday to combat what are being described as the country’s worst wildfires. Korea Forest Service chief Lim Sang Seop noted that less than 0.2 inches of rain was expected in the area, too little to significantly aid firefighting efforts.
Among the casualties was a pilot whose helicopter crashed while battling the flames and four firefighters and workers who were trapped by rapidly advancing fires driven by strong winds.
Authorities have not provided specific details about the civilian casualties but stated that most were in their 60s and 70s.
Officials suspect human error was behind several of the wildfires that began last Friday, citing instances where fires were started while clearing overgrown grass from family tombs or from sparks during welding work.
The wildfires have scorched 88,488 acres of land in the southeast, making it the worst disaster of its kind in South Korea, according to the government’s disaster response centre.
The blazes have also left nearly 30 people injured and forced over 24,200 residents to evacuate.
As of Thursday morning, authorities had deployed over 9,000 personnel and approximately 120 helicopters to combat the wildfires, according to the disaster response centre.
“Damages are snowballing,” acting president Han Duck Soo said in a televised address on Wednesday. “There are concerns that we’ll have wildfire damages that we’ve never experienced, so we have to concentrate all our capabilities on putting out the wildfires this week.”
“It is worrying that many of the victims are senior citizens, including patients at nursing hospitals,” he added.
“Please personally take care of the victims’ health and safety on the ground and activate an efficient support system so that the wildfire-extinguishing personnel and volunteer workers do not burn out.”
The wildfires have destroyed homes, factories, vehicles, and historic sites. In Uiseong, 20 of the 30 structures at the Gounsa temple complex, originally built in the 7th century, have been burned. Among the losses are two state-designated treasures: a 1668 pavilion overlooking a stream and a 1904 Joseon-era structure commemorating a king’s longevity.
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