청 "Mobilizing All Available Firefighting Resources" ... Holds Emergency Situation Review Meeting

"All-Out Effort to Extinguish Wildfire in Goseong, Gangwon"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The government decided to mobilize all available resources, including fire trucks, firefighting helicopters, and firefighting personnel, at dawn on the 2nd to extinguish the wildfire that occurred in Goseong, Gangwon Province on the afternoon of the 1st.

The Blue House held an emergency video situation briefing chaired by National Security Office Director Jeong Eui-yong from 11:05 PM to 11:35 PM on the 1st.

Attendees included Minister of the Interior and Safety Jin Young, Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-du, Korea Meteorological Administration Chief Kim Jong-seok, Deputy Administrator of the Korea Forest Service Choi Young-am, Army Chief of Staff Seo Wook, officials from the Fire Agency and Police Agency, as well as representatives from Gangwon Province and Goseong County.

The meeting reviewed the evacuation status of residents in areas including Toseong-myeon, Goseong County, the nighttime wildfire situation, and necessary measures to prevent its spread. Reports from related ministries and agencies on the requirements for firefighting operations to resume at dawn were also presented.

The government plans to devote all efforts to early containment by mobilizing all resources such as firefighting helicopters, fire trucks, and firefighting personnel as soon as daylight breaks.

Earlier, at around 8:04 PM on the 1st, a fire broke out at a house in Dowon-ri, Toseong-myeon, Goseong County, Gangwon Province, and spread rapidly to nearby hillsides, driven by strong winds.

About 420 residents in Dowon-ri and Hakya-ri evacuated to nearby Cheonjin Elementary School gymnasium and other locations, and three houses were burned down. Approximately 1,800 soldiers from the Army's 22nd Division near the wildfire area are also evacuating. No casualties have been reported so far.

Currently, strong winds of around 6.3 meters per second are blowing in the Goseong area, making it difficult for firefighting authorities to control the wildfire. A dry weather advisory is in effect throughout Gangwon Province, and a strong wind advisory has been issued for the plains of Sokcho and Yangyang, as well as the central mountainous areas of Gangwon, including Goseong where the fire broke out.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.