27 cases of damage to cultural heritage tallied since last week
Over 1,000 cultural artifacts protected by the government have been moved as a precaution as South Korea races to contain its worst wildfires on record.
According to the Korea Heritage Service, 1,566 such items of historical importance have been taken out mostly from temples and old houses in the southeastern Gyeongsang provinces, where the blazes started last week.
Unmovable objects like pavilions and halls have been covered with flame-resistant cloth, according to officials at the agency in charge of cultural heritage affairs, who added that 44 such structures are being protected.
The agency has so far reported 27 cases of damage to cultural heritage, a tally that includes two state-designated treasures, as well as historical sites and monuments. State-designated National Treasures, given the highest government protections, have not been affected.
Officials are now concentrating manpower on safeguarding two UNESCO-listed sites in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province.
The 17th-century Confucian academy Byeongsanseowon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019, and Hahoe Village, which received the same recognition in 2010, have been under intense watch. No material damage has been reported, though authorities have evacuated people from the village, home to descendants of the Ryu clan of Pungsan, whose settlement there dates back to the 14th century.
Some 750 agency personnel have been deployed to historical sites across the country, an unprecedented measure that followed the agency’s decision this week to raise its disaster alert to the highest level for the first time.
siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com
