South Korea: Oppn leader to offer condolences to victims of wildfires in Sancheong

Seoul: The leader of the South Korean main Opposition Democratic Party (DP) plans to offer his condolences to the victims of wildfires that have engulfed the southeastern county of Sancheong, officials said.

DP leader Lee Jae-myung is scheduled to visit a joint memorial altar set up in Sancheong in South Gyeongsang Province, about 250 kilometres southeast of Seoul, to offer his condolences to the bereaved families of the wildfire victims.

“I extend my condolences to the bereaved families who lost their loved ones overnight, as well as to the displaced people who lost their homes and the residents who are gathered in shelters amid fear and anxiety,” Lee said during a Supreme Council meeting earlier in the day.

The Sancheong wildfire, which began last Friday, has claimed the lives of four people and burned down several facilities, before spreading to the adjacent Hadong County, leaving nearly 600 people in both counties displaced, Yonhap news agency reported.

Earlier in the day, South Korean Acting President Han Duck-soo called on the government to make all-out efforts to contain wildfires spreading in the country’s southeastern region.

Shortly after returning to office after the Constitutional Court reinstated him, Han was briefed on wildfires that have been raging across the nation since Friday. The wildfires have killed at least four people and injured nine people, according to fire authorities.

“Relevant agencies should establish an organic cooperation system to work together until the wildfires are completely extinguished,” Han said during his visit to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters at the government complex.

Han told reporters that he would meet those affected by the wildfires later in the day, saying he had delivered handwritten letters to the bereaved families of the deceased.

South Korea was battling to contain multiple wildfires raging across the southeastern region on Sunday, with strong and dry winds hindering efforts to bring the blaze under control

A total of 4,150 hectares of land — equivalent to approximately 5,811 football fields — has been burned so far, with more than 1,000 hectares destroyed in Euiseong and Sancheong, respectively.

IANS