Wildfires Threaten East Coast Region... Concerns Over Northward Spread to Uljin Nuclear Power Plant

A wildfire that broke out in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk is moving eastward, raising concerns that it could move northward due to southerly and southwesterly winds.

Yonhap News

According to forest authorities on the 26th, the wildfire spread to Dosan-myeon and Yean-myeon in Andong City as the wind direction changed in the afternoon. Dosan Seowon, a UNESCO World Heritage site where the Confucian scholar Toegye Yi Hwang taught his disciples, is located in Dosan-myeon, Andong.

Currently, the exact wind direction cannot be predicted, but if the wildfire continues to spread north or northeast, even Uljin, where a nuclear power plant is located, cannot be considered safe.

Earlier, the wildfire that started in Uiseong on the 22nd spread to Andong after three days on the 24th, and then extended to Cheongsong, Yeongdeok, and Yeongyang. The affected area in Andong alone is estimated to be about 37,000 hectares (according to local government estimates), with more than 20 fatalities reported.