Fire authorities issue national mobilization order as wildfire spreads in North Gyeongsang
Published: 08 Feb. 2026, 14:17
Updated: 08 Feb. 2026, 15:51
![A helicopter works to contain a wildfire in Ipcheon-ri, Munmu-daewang-myeon, Gyeongju, on Feb. 8. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/08/aad3a51c-1922-42eb-b207-15b9d682e189.jpg)
A helicopter works to contain a wildfire in Ipcheon-ri, Munmu-daewang-myeon, Gyeongju, on Feb. 8. [NEWS1]
Fire authorities issued a national mobilization order at 11:33 a.m. Sunday in response to a wildfire in North Gyeongsang.
A fire broke out in Ipcheon-ri, Munmu-daewang-myeon, Gyeongju, at around 9:40 p.m. on Saturday. Authorities initially announced that 60 percent of the blaze had been contained as of 6:30 a.m., but that figure dropped to 23 percent by noon after the fire spread.
The wildfire has continued to expand overnight, fueled by strong winds. The affected area has grown to 42 hectares (103.8 acres) with winds blowing at 8.9 meters per second (19.9 miles per hour).
Following the latest development, authorities set up an emergency response task force and dispatched on-site situation managers to oversee response efforts.
Five vehicles and 25 personnel from 119 special response units in Daegu, Daejeon, Ulsan, Gangwon and South Chungcheong were dispatched to the scene. Disaster recovery vehicles were also sent to the Munmu-daewang-myeon fire site from Ulsan, Daegu and Busan.
A total of 40 helicopters, 104 vehicles and 298 personnel have been deployed to the site. Fire authorities estimate that 4.2 hectares of private forest land have been damaged.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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