South Korea’s centuries-old Gounsa temple is left in ruins by unprecedented wildfires

Unprecedented wildfires ripping done South Korea’s confederate regions person destroyed ample parts of an past Buddhist temple complex, burning down 2 buildings that had been designated nationalist treasures.

Five days of wildfires, considered among South Korea’s worst, person near 24 radical dead, destroyed much than 300 structures and forced much than 28,000 residents to evacuate, officials said Wednesday.

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The Gounsa temple was reportedly primitively built successful 681 A.D. during the Shilla dynasty that ruled much than fractional of the Korean Peninsula. It is nestled astatine the ft of Deungun Mountain successful the southeastern municipality of Uiseong. While it doesn’t location buildings constructed during that past period, it is location to respective celebrated taste heritages built later.

The temple was engulfed successful flames connected Tuesday arsenic beardown winds fanned the wildfires. About 20 of its 30 buildings and structures were wholly burned down, including the revered Gaunru, a pavilion-shaped operation built successful 1668 overlooking a stream, and Yeonsujeon, built successful 1904 to people the longevity of a king, according to the state-run Korea Heritage Service.

A doorbell is seen breached connected the remains of the doorbell pavilion owed to wildfires astatine Gounsa temple successful Uiseong, South Korea, Wednesday.  (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)

Both were constructed during the Joseon dynasty, the past 1 connected the Korean Peninsula, and were fixed the authorities designation of "treasure," a presumption fixed to aged buildings, paintings and different taste assets with historical and creator value and which person state-level extortion and maintenance.

"I went determination this greeting and recovered they’ve been reduced to heaps of ashes," said Doryun, a elder monk who had lived astatine the temple for much than 3 years erstwhile helium was younger. "I consciousness truly empty. Life is transient."

Doryun present works for a Buddhist enactment successful complaint of the temple. He said that monks and Buddhist faithful managed to determination the temple's 3rd "treasure," a chromatic Buddha statue reportedly built successful the 8th century, to a harmless place.

"Many buildings were burned down, but we moved and protected different ineffable assets truthful that we tin support the temple. We consciousness it’s precise fortunate," Doryun told The Associated Press implicit the phone.

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Doryun besides said astir 20 monks and different workers unrecorded astatine the temple, but nary person been injured.

The Korea Heritage Service said the temple’s 2 different lower-level taste assets, including a chromatic pagoda, person besides been recovered intact.