South Korea: Arrest of Forest Fire Suspect, Worship Ritual Caused Historic Disaster

The worst forest fire in South Korea's history has captured the attention of the world in recent days. Recently, South Korean officials arrested a man suspected of causing the forest fire.

The southeastern region of South Korea has just experienced a serious forest fire that caused heavy damage to people and property. Accordingly, Yonhap news agency said that this fire may have originated from a 56-year-old suspect. This man has been arrested for investigation.

The suspect allegedly caused the forest fire while visiting the grave of a relative on a hill in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea at noon on March 22.

At that time, the dry weather and strong winds caused the fire to break out quickly, spreading to many neighboring areas. The fire destroyed about 4,000 houses and other facilities, including Goun Pagoda - a world heritage recognized by UNESCO.

The 56-year-old man denied the charges at the police station. An official from the North Gyeongsang Police Station said they were verifying the evidence. Authorities plan to launch an investigation into the cause of the fire next week.

When the forest fire broke out, South Korea dispatched 50 helicopters, 1,473 personnel, and 213 fire trucks to help put out the fire. By the morning of March 30, the fire was almost 99% under control.

Speaking at an emergency meeting on March 26, Acting President Han Duck-soo said the government had raised the national forest fire alert to the highest level. He also pledged to mobilize all available resources to control one of the worst forest fires to hi.t South Korea in decades.

Acting President of South Korea Han Duck-soo said: "The direct reason why the forest fire is difficult to control is the strong wind that has been blowing all night, reaching the level of a typhoon warning. We are putting all our efforts into firefighting operations and mobilizing all available support, including receiving helicopter support from the US military."

The forest fires broke out in Sancheong County in North Gyeongsang Province, southeastern South Korea, on March 21. The fire then spread to nearby Uiseong County and is continuing to spread to neighboring areas including Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok.

So far, the fires have ravaged more than 17,000 hectares of forest and destroyed more than 200 homes and factories. About 23,000 people have been ordered to evacuate for safety. The fire destroyed Gounsa Temple in Uiseong - an ancient temple built in 681 during the Silla Dynasty. Fortunately, the national treasures kept at the temple have been moved to a safe place.

Residents evacuated to Sinsung Elementary School said the fire spread so quickly they did not have time to bring anything with them.

Many people have been moved to shelters and the Korean government is working to provide emergency relief and financial support to those displaced.

Rain is forecast for the area later on March 26. And officials hope to use the weather to help extinguish the wildfires.

The latest report from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters shows that the deat.h toll from forest fires in South Korea has risen to 30. This is 2 more than yesterday. In addition, about 40 people were injured, and 6,885 residents of 4,193 households have not been able to return home because the situation has not been fully controlled.

About 55.4 billion won (about 37.7 million USD) has been donated through relief organizations to support recovery efforts.

In addition to South Korea, which is suffering from a natural disaster caused by forest fires, many other countries in Asia are also facing natural disasters. Among them, Myanmar and Thailand are suffering the consequences of a 7.7 magnitude earthquake originating from Myanmar.

Myanmar confirmed the deat.h toll from the earthquake had risen to 1,644 and about 2,400 others were injured. This figure was as of the end of March 29.

In Thailand, the earthquake also caused three construction sites to collapse in the Din Daeng, Bang Sue and Chatuchak districts of Bangkok. At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 people were missing.

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