Koreans Recover from Record-Breaking Wildfires
- The Earth & I Editorial Team
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Better Evacuation and Firefighting Responses Sought
South Korea is grappling with the aftermath of its most devastating wildfires on record. CNN reported that 30 people were killed, with over 3,100 evacuated to 114 shelters, while AP News reported that more than 37,800 fled their homes. Thousands of homes, factories, and vehicles were destroyed. The blazes, which began in the southeastern regions of the country in late March, left swaths of destruction in their wake.
Helicopters and fire crews worked tirelessly to drop water and fire retardants on the raging flames, although their efforts were hampered by gusty winds and dry weather conditions. Altogether, the government mobilized more than 10,000 personnel, including firefighters, 420 military helicopters, and 29 specialized Mercedes-Benz firetrucks to assist in the firefighting efforts.
Among the wildfire victims were a helicopter pilot whose aircraft crashed while fighting the flames and an 85-year-old Buddhist monk who served as caretaker of a remote mountain temple. Four firefighters and additional workers also perished after being trapped by fast-moving fires. Many of the civilian casualties were elderly people who found it difficult to evacuate quickly or did not heed evacuation orders.
The worst-hit areas included the cities of Andong, Uiseong, and Ulsan, as well as sections of the historical Juwang Mountain. Local authorities issued evacuation orders for several villages, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hahoe Folk Village in Andong. The Gounsa temple complex, originally built in the 7th century, was heavily damaged, with 20 out of 30 structures destroyed. They included two designated “treasures”—a pavilion-shaped structure built over a creek in 1668 and a Joseon dynasty structure erected to mark the longevity of a king.
On Friday, March 28, 2025, The Korea Times reported the fires to be officially contained “after 149 hours [and] 48,000 ha [about 120,000 acres] of forest scorched.”
The disaster has underscored the vulnerability of South Korea to extreme weather events. Local officials quickly called for a complete overhaul of the country’s wildfire response strategies to better prepare for such events in the future. Lee Cheol-woo, the governor of North Gyeongsang Province, emphasized the need for improved evacuation guidelines, more advanced firefighting equipment, and better resources for nighttime firefighting operations. Currently, firefighting efforts at night rely heavily on manual labor, which is inadequate given the density of Korea’s forests and the speed at which fires can spread.
The Long Road to Recovery
As the nation begins to rebuild, it is clear that this disaster has served as a wake-up call for the need to rethink and reinforce the country’s emergency response systems. Lee Han-kyung, deputy head of the government’s disaster response center, said that the wildfires showed “the reality of climate crisis that we have yet experienced,” according to Yonhap news agency.
The Korea Herald cited a March 2025 report by the National Institute of Forest Science that estimates a need for “30 [plus] years for structural recovery and up to 100 years for full ecological stabilization” to recover from wildfires of this magnitude.
Recovery costs, according to Korea JoongAng Daily, are to be covered by a budget of 10 trillion won ($6.8 billion) proposed by the Ministry of Economy to “restore areas impacted by the massive wildfire,” as well as “mitigate trade risks and support small businesses.”
For the thousands of displaced residents, the road to recovery will be long. Among the evacuees is 79-year-old Seo Jae Tak, who described the devastation of returning to his home in Andong, only to find the entire mountain reduced to ashes. His emotional response reflected the personal toll of the wildfires on South Korea’s aging population.
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