"Thousand-Year-Old Temple Gounsa Also Burned Down in Wildfire, National Crisis Alert" (Update)

On the 25th, the fourth day since the wildfire broke out in Uiseong-gun, Gyeongbuk, the forest in Uiseong-gun devastated by the wildfire is shown, while the fire is spreading toward Andong-si. Yonhap News

Gounsa, a thousand-year-old temple located in Uiseong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, was completely destroyed by a wildfire.

According to the forestry authorities on the 25th, at around 4:50 PM, Gounsa, the main temple of the 16th district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, situated on the slopes of Deungunsan in Danchon-myeon, Uiseong-gun, was entirely consumed by the wildfire.

Founded by Monk Uisang in the first year of King Sinmun of Silla (681 AD), Gounsa was one of the major temples representing Gyeongbuk. Tangible cultural assets such as Treasure No. 246, the Stone Seated Buddha Statue, which were housed at Gounsa, were reportedly relocated to various parts of Gyeongbuk earlier that morning.

The Korea Forest Service issued a national crisis alert for wildfire disasters at the 'Severe' level for all regions nationwide at 4 PM on the same day.

The Korea Forest Service explained that large wildfires that occurred on the 21st in Sancheong, Gyeongnam, and on the 22nd in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk, and Ulju, Ulsan, have not yet been fully extinguished. With additional wildfires breaking out nationwide, the national crisis alert was raised to mobilize full-scale response to the wildfire disaster crisis.

In areas where the wildfire crisis alert is raised to 'Severe,' at least one-quarter of affiliated public officials (employees) and at least half of affiliated public service personnel must be deployed and on standby.

Military unit firing exercises are restricted, and permits for entering controlled mountain areas are suspended.