SEOUL– President Moon Jae-in on Sunday consoled residents in the eastern coastal area that has been ravaged by a massive wildfire and vowed swift government support for the victims, his office said.
He met some of the displaced people at a makeshift shelter in Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as authorities mobilized 44 helicopters and 4,000 personnel to contain the blaze that began Friday.
Among some 7,400 people who evacuated due to the fire, 1,000 are staying in temporary shelters set up at public facilities and schools in the area, officials said.
The fire burned an estimated 14,222 hectares of woodland — more than twice the size of Manhattan — in Uljin and its neighboring city of Samcheok as of 11 a.m., driven by strong winds and dry weather, according to forest and firefighting authorities.
The government plans to designate the affected areas as a special disaster zone, according to Cheong Wa Dae officials.
“The fastest way for the government to support the residents is to declare a special disaster zone and taking part in recovery efforts,” Moon told the victims.
Source: Yonhap News Agency