Seoul: The military has dispatched 600 soldiers and 49 helicopters to assist in containing wildfires that have ravaged the southeastern provinces, as confirmed by the defense ministry. This latest effort, which includes four choppers from U.S. Forces Korea, is part of a broader deployment involving nearly 7,000 personnel and over 300 helicopters aimed at combating the fires that erupted last week in South and North Gyeongsang provinces.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korea Forest Service had announced that the wildfires in North Gyeongsang were fully contained by 5 p.m. on Friday. However, the fires reignited overnight, exacerbating the situation. The wildfires, described as the worst in South Korea's history, have decimated approximately 48,000 hectares of woodland, an area roughly 80 percent the size of Seoul.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters reported that the death toll rose to 30 on Saturday, an increase of two from the previous day, with 40 people injured. The fires have displaced 6,885 individuals from 4,193 households, who remain unable to return home. An additional 5,100 troops and nine helicopters are on standby for further deployment if required by firefighting authorities.