Ministry of Education: "Some School Lawns and Staff Housing Damaged by Wildfire... Normal Attendance in Affected Areas"

Formation of Situation Assessment Team on the 4th to Establish Support System
Grass Lost at Uljin Changho Elementary and Jukbyeon Elementary Hwaseong Branch Principals' Grounds
No Casualties Among Staff and Students Reported So Far

The scene of the fire that occurred in Uljin on the 4th (Photo by the National Fire Agency)

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Education announced on the 7th that there was damage to school lawns and partial destruction of staff housing due to wildfires that occurred in Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk, and Samcheok-si, Gangwon.

After inspecting the schools affected by the wildfire that occurred on the 4th, the Ministry of Education stated that no casualties among students or staff have been reported so far. Some of the lawn at Jukbyeoncho Hwasung Branch School (closed school) and Changho Elementary School was destroyed, and part of the roof of staff housing in Uljin, where 24 households reside, was damaged.

After consultation with the local education offices in the affected areas, the Ministry of Education judged that there would be no direct impact on educational activities, and as of the 7th, schools in the wildfire-affected areas will operate normally without adjusting the academic schedule.

The Ministry of Education formed a situation task force on the 4th to inspect the damage to schools and establish a support system. The Deputy Minister of Education serves as the head of the task force, checking the necessity of measures regarding casualties, school facility damage, and academic operation adjustments, and consulting with metropolitan and provincial education offices.

The Ministry of Education plans to continuously monitor the status of academic operations to ensure that educational activities can be conducted in a safe environment. Additionally, the Director of the Education Safety Information Bureau will visit the damage site (Uljin area, Gyeongbuk) to assess the school damage status, attendance situation, and the demand for fire damage support.

The Ministry of Education stated, "We will continue to provide administrative and financial support so that students in the affected areas can study normally until the wildfire is completely extinguished."