Oh Se-hoon Visits Andong After 'Wildfire Damage' Saying "We Will Provide Comprehensive Support"

Additional Support Planned, Including Personnel and Resources

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited Andong, Gyeongbuk, which suffered from a wildfire, on the 28th and promised "comprehensive support."

At 11 a.m. that day, Mayor Oh visited a temporary shelter set up at Andong Gymnasium to console the disaster victims. He said, "Since the wildfire damage is severe, we will do our best to ensure that necessary support can be provided more quickly through close consultation with the council," adding, "Seoul City will continue to provide all possible support until the victims in the affected areas return to their normal daily lives."

On the 28th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited a temporary shelter for wildfire victims set up at Andong Gymnasium in Unheung-dong, Andong City, Gyeongbuk, to comfort the displaced residents. Provided by Seoul City

He then urged the firefighters from the Seoul Fire Headquarters who were deployed to extinguish the wildfire, "Do your best until the fire is completely extinguished and the situation is over, but also pay attention to the safety of the firefighters."

That morning, the city dispatched additional equipment and firefighting personnel to the affected area, including one helicopter, 20 pump trucks, 25 tanks, 137 firefighters, an emergency rescue control team command vehicle, and a special rescue team leader.

To support the increasing number of disaster victims with relief supplies, real-time surveys are also being conducted on-site. The city plans to supply additional support items in cooperation with the city and district volunteer centers, Seoul Metropolitan Food Bank, and others.

Once the wildfire is fully extinguished, about 500 members of the Seoul Disaster Response Specialized Volunteer Corps, which includes general volunteers and professionals with nursing, electrical, and boiler expertise, as well as Seoul city government volunteer workers, will be dispatched to the site.

Since the 26th, the city has been conducting a fundraising campaign for the wildfire-affected areas targeting all supporters. The collected funds until the 4th of next month will be delivered to the affected areas through the Seoul Metropolitan Chapter of the Korean Red Cross.

Additionally, the city plans to secure available resources that can be immediately deployed and provide swift support wherever requested. The Suanbo Government Officials Training Center will be provided as a place for disaster victims and volunteers to stay, and the Seoul City Safety Management Advisory Group will be dispatched to support local recovery. The city also plans to support medical volunteer personnel in consultation with the Seoul Medical Association Medical Volunteer Group.

For recovery support, 172 pieces of equipment including excavators, dump trucks, and cranes, 25 waste collection cleaning vehicles, 240,000 wildfire extinguishing equipment items such as backpack pumps, and 140,000 quarantine supplies including masks and hand sanitizers have been secured.