Yoon, on Gangneung Wildfire: "All Equipment Rapidly Deployed to Fully Focus on Early Containment"

by Bae Kyunghwan

Published 11 Apr.2023 11:35(KST)

Additional Orders for Rapid Evacuation of Locals and Establishment of Firebreak Lines

President Yoon Suk-yeol instructed to mobilize all resources to respond to the wildfire that occurred in Gangneung, Gangwon Province on the 11th.

On the same day, President Yoon received a report in the morning that a wildfire had broken out and was spreading in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, and he said, "Please swiftly deploy all available equipment and personnel to focus all efforts on early containment," spokesperson Lee Do-woon stated in a written briefing.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, President Yoon said, "Prioritize measures to prevent casualties by promptly evacuating residents in areas at risk of wildfire impact and proactively establishing firebreaks." He added, "Since strong winds are blowing nationwide, small sparks can spread into large wildfires, so the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and local governments should thoroughly carry out wildfire prevention activities."

Meanwhile, although a 'Level 3 Wildfire Alert' was issued due to the wildfire in Gangneung that occurred amid strong winds that day, firefighting operations using forest helicopters were reportedly suspended due to the fierce winds. The Central Wildfire Countermeasures Headquarters of the Korea Forest Service issued the Level 3 Wildfire Alert at 10:30 a.m. to prevent the spread and enable rapid containment of the wildfire that broke out at 8:30 a.m. in the hills of Nangok-dong, Gangneung-si, Gangwon Province.