March 30, 2025 | 11:16 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - South Korean police on Sunday (30/3/2025) said they had arrested a man suspected of causing a major forest fire that has swept through the southeastern part of the country, Channel NewsAsia reported.
The 56-year-old man is accused of starting the fire on March 22 at around 11:25am while performing an ancestral ritual at his family's grave on a hill in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province. The fire broke out while he was cleaning his ancestors' graves and burning leftover rubbish.
The fire then quickly spread to the Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok areas over several days due to strong winds and dry conditions, leaving at least 30 people dead in North Gyeongsang Province.
About 48,000 hectares of forest, equivalent to 80 percent of the area of Seoul, have been burned in the worst forest fire disaster in South Korea's history, according to the local forestry agency.
The forest fire also destroyed about 4,000 buildings, including the Goun Temple -- a UNESCO World Heritage site -- as well as homes, factories and other facilities.
According to police, the suspect has denied all charges against him.
The suspect's daughter reportedly told investigators that her father tried to set fire to tree branches hanging above the grave with a cigarette lighter.
The flames were "carried by the wind and ended up sparking a wildfire," the daughter was quoted as telling authorities, Yonhap news agency reported.
South Korea's Forestry Service had previously announced that the forest fire in North Gyeongsang Province had been completely brought under control by Friday evening, before it flared up again on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, the fire that started in Sancheong County and spread to Mount Jiri National Park was largely brought under control by Sunday. However, a 200-meter-long fire on the edge of the national park was still being extinguished by authorities.
Authorities have deployed 50 helicopters, 1,473 personnel and 213 vehicles since early morning to combat the fire. As of 8 a.m. Sunday, the fire had been 99 percent extinguished.
Police plan to conduct a joint investigation as early as next week in coordination with the National Forestry Science Institute, the National Forensic Service and fire authorities.
The fires were fueled by strong winds and extremely dry conditions, with the area experiencing months of below-average rainfall, following South Korea’s hottest year on record in 2024.
Among the 30 people killed was a helicopter pilot, who died when his plane crashed in a mountainous area.
The fires also destroyed several historic sites, including the Gounsa temple complex in Uiseong, believed to have been originally built in the 7th century.
The devastating fires have also exposed South Korea’s demographic crisis and regional disparities, as rural areas are underpopulated and largely populated by the elderly.
Editor's Choice: Wildfires and Aging Society Make for Deadly Mix in South Korea
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