Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun: "Mobilize All Resources to Stop the Goseong Wildfire"

"Stable Management of New COVID-19 Cases... Controlling Imported Cases Key to Quarantine"

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is delivering opening remarks at the 'Icheon Fire Related Ministers Meeting' held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 30th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun expressed his gratitude on the 2nd to all public officials who promptly responded to the wildfire during the holiday, following news that the main fire of the wildfire in Goseong, Gangwon Province had been extinguished. At the 'Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters Meeting for COVID-19' held at the Government Seoul Office that day, Prime Minister Chung said, "We mobilized all resources including the special wildfire suppression team, firefighters, military police, and local governments to fight the fire throughout the night, and fortunately, we managed to contain the flames." He added, "Please ensure a thorough finish to prevent any re-ignition."

The Korea Forest Service declared the main fire extinguished at 8 a.m. that day. Park Jong-ho, head of the Korea Forest Service, said, "The wind weakened somewhat at dawn. The aerial firefighting team, special suppression team, and the frontline firefighting operations by the Fire Agency were effective." With sunrise, the forestry authorities deployed 38 firefighting helicopters and 5,134 personnel to the wildfire site. The helicopters were dispatched sequentially from across the country and divided into five groups to spray water. The Korea Forest Service deployed 18 helicopters (4 extra-large, 13 large, 1 medium), the military 15, the fire department and leased helicopters 2, and the national park 1. Ground firefighting personnel also joined the suppression efforts as daylight broke.

The Goseong wildfire broke out at 8:04 p.m. on the 1st. The fire started in a residential area in Dowon-ri, Toseong-myeon, and spread to nearby hills. Fueled by typhoon-strength winds known as 'Yangganjipung,' it spread rapidly. One house, one cowshed, and one boiler room were completely destroyed. It is estimated that about 85 hectares of forest were lost. Approximately 2,200 people, including 329 residents from Dowon-ri, Hakya-ri, and Unbong-ri, and 1,876 soldiers from the Army's 22nd Division, evacuated to six locations such as Ayajin Elementary School and Cheonjin Elementary School. They stayed awake through the night, monitoring the firefighting efforts. So far, no casualties have been reported.

Meanwhile, regarding COVID-19 prevention, Prime Minister Chung evaluated that "recent new confirmed cases have been stably managed at around 10 or fewer." He said, "Although the proportion of imported cases has increased, fortunately, there are almost no imported cases occurring outside the quarantine network." He emphasized, "With the expansion of face-to-face classes at universities, the number of international students entering the country may increase, and many of our students who postponed their return until mid-month are also expected to arrive. Controlling imported cases will be key to prevention for the time being." He also requested, "Please do not let your guard down and ensure thorough management of overseas arrivals at airports and in local communities."

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