A massive fire broke out in one of the last slums in the South Korean capital, Seoul, on Friday morning, forcing about 500 people to leave their homes ahead of the lunar New Year’s holiday, authorities said. Flames engulfed the village of Goryeong on Thursday, a shanty town nestled in the shadow of high-rise buildings in the upscale Ganam district, made famous by the song “Ganam Style” by rapper Psy.
Firefighters said the blaze, which broke out around 6:30 a.m., burned about 60 homes and was completely extinguished by noon.
There were no injuries, the cause of the fire is still unknown, according to the same source.
“We are planning to launch additional investigation into this case,” Choi Jae-young, an official at the Seoul Fire and Disaster Center, told AFP.
However, residents confirmed that they were not surprised by the fire.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Lee Won-chul, 65, who has lived in the village for 30 years, said: “There are a lot of safety issues in the community due to fires, and it seems that the authorities have never taken them into account.”
“The houses are very old and the electrical wiring is dangerous and out of control. Sparks often spread inside houses,” he added.
There have been at least eight fires in the area since 2012, including Friday’s fire.
Guriyon Village was founded in 1988 when poor residents were evicted from their homes as part of a project to renovate the capital city of Seoul ahead of the Olympic Games.
According to official figures, there were about 550 houses in the village last year, and many families lived in appalling conditions.
Life in this village is very different from the luxurious and glamorous life in neighboring Ganam.
South Korea is bridging the gap between social classes and last year decided to ban the cramped basement apartments made famous by the Oscar-winning film Parasite after four people drowned in their underground homes during a flood.
