Wildfires are raging across the country, escalating the scale of damage.
According to forest authorities, over six thousand hectares of woodland are being affected, including over 55-hundred hectares in Uljin and about 500 hectares in Samcheok.
There have been no casualties, but property damage is reported at 158 locations including 116 homes burnt down.
Over six-thousand residents in five towns had to evacuate and 673 people still remain at shelters.
In addition to the fires in Uljin and Samcheok, forest fires also broke out in Gangneung, Gangwon Province overnight, with flames spreading to nearby Donghae city.
Another wildfire in Yeongwol in the same province is also spreading across the county due to strong winds.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters have declared Gangwon and North Gyeongsang as disaster zones and fully mobilized firefighting personnel and equipment.
The National Fire Agency has issued the highest-level emergency alert for the first time on a nationwide scale.
Source: KBS World Radio