South Korea sent two helicopters to battle a wildfire inside the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Seoul’s military said Friday, adding it had warned North Korea in advance of its firefighting mission along the heavily armed border area.
The blaze in the east of the DMZ dividing the Koreas comes just weeks after South Korea suffered record deadly wildfires in the country’s southeast that forced communities to evacuate and destroyed thousands of structures, including a centuries-old Buddhist temple.
South Korea’s military aired broadcasts to North Korea to warn people there about the helicopters early Friday, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
“Our military is maintaining readiness while closely monitoring North Korean activities,” the Joint Chiefs added.
It’s unclear what caused the fire, which started Thursday afternoon in South Korea’s eastern Goseong county, Gangwon province, according to authorities.
The Korea Forest Service said the blaze had been about half extinguished as of Friday morning, while the military said firefighting efforts were “proceeding smoothly” and there had been no damage to South Korean personnel or facilities.
The DMZ is a no-man’s land about 30 miles north of Seoul that was established in the 1953 Korean War Armistice Agreement to provide distance between the two sides and prevent military brush-ups. The 160-mile-long, 2.5-mile-wide DMZ is one of the most heavily militarized borders in the world and both Seoul and Pyongyang maintain large numbers of troops there. It has been the site of high-level discussions on inter-Korea relations and is also a major tourist attraction.
Largely devoid of human activity, the DMZ has inadvertently become one of the most pristine environments in Asia and a haven for wildlife. In 2023, Google released street-view images of the DMZ for the first time, offering a rare glimpse into the flora and fauna that inhabit the peaceful buffer.
Inter-Korea hostilities have ramped up in recent years as North Korea appears to have intensified its nuclear production efforts and strengthened ties with Russia as it wages war in Ukraine. Last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scrapped a longstanding policy of seeking peaceful reunification with South Korea.
Earlier this week, South Korea’s military said it had fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line before retreating.
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