Fire at Yongsan National Hangeul Museum... Fully Extinguished After 7 Hours (Comprehensive Report 3)

Fortunately, No Cultural Heritage Was Lost
Fire Believed to Have Started at Extension Construction Site

A fire broke out on the 1st at the National Hangeul Museum in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and was completely extinguished after 7 hours.

Firefighters are conducting firefighting operations after a fire broke out at the National Hangeul Museum in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the fire authorities, the large flames were brought under control around 12:31 PM, about 4 hours after the fire started. The firefighting operation involved 76 pieces of equipment and 262 personnel. The museum transferred its collections to the National Museum of Korea to ensure their safety.

The fire completely destroyed the 3rd and 4th floors of the museum, but no cultural heritage damage occurred. The museum was closed due to an extension construction, so there were no visitors. Two workers inside the museum were rescued, and four others evacuated.

The museum is a building with one basement floor and four above-ground floors. The fire started on the 3rd floor, which is used as an exhibition hall, and then spread to the 4th floor. One firefighter who entered the museum fell about 2 meters when the work platform he was standing on gave way and was injured by falling rebar; he was transported to the hospital.

The fire authorities suspect that the fire may have started when sparks flew during welding work to cut rebar at the extension construction site, and they are investigating the exact cause.

The fire authorities will also examine whether the sprinklers and smoke control systems inside the building were functioning properly during the ongoing extension construction.

The National Hangeul Museum holds about 89,000 items related to Hangeul literature and materials. Nine items, including 'Worinseokbo Volumes 9 and 10,' 'Jeongjo Hangeul Correspondence Album,' and 'Cheonggu Yeongeon,' are designated as national treasures, and four items, such as 'Samgang Haengsildo (Eonhae),' are designated as provincial tangible cultural heritage.

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