Seoul: Wildfires sweeping across South Korea have intensified, prompting authorities to declare additional regions as "special disaster zones."
Since Saturday, at least four people have lost their lives, and hundreds have been forced to evacuate as strong winds and dry conditions fueled the flames.
In Sancheong County, one of the hardest-hit areas, 64-year-old farmer Kim Byung-wook shared the devastation he experienced ,to the Reuters, after losing the home he had lived in for over three decades.
"The memories of my youth have vanished—photos of my children, everything is gone," he told Reuters.
Sancheong was already designated a special disaster zone, which unlocks additional government support for relief and recovery efforts. On Monday, Acting President Han Duck-soo expanded the designation to include another county in South Gyeongsang Province, as well as two more in Ulsan and North Gyeongsang Province.
Han, who resumed his role as acting president after a Constitutional Court ruling earlier in the day, visited Uiseong County to meet with displaced residents and discuss recovery plans, according to his office.
