(Photo Credit : REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji)
1 / 8Unprecedented wildfires ripping through South Korea’s southern regions have destroyed large parts of an ancient Buddhist temple complex, burning down two buildings that had been designated national treasures. A damaged temple bell lies amidst debris at Gounsa temple after a wildfire devastated the area in Uiseong, South Korea March 27, 2025.REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
(Photo Credit : REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji)
2 / 8A damaged temple bell lies amidst debris at Gounsa temple after a wildfire devastated the area in Uiseong, South Korea March 27, 2025.REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
(Photo Credit : REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji)
3 / 8Firefighters work at the Gounsa temple devastated by a wildfire in Uiseong, South Korea, March 27, 2025.REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
(Photo Credit : REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji)
4 / 8Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party, takes a look around at Gounsa temple devastated by a wildfire in Uiseong, South Korea, March 27, 2025.REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
(Photo Credit : Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)
5 / 8A bell is seen broken at the remains of the bell pavilion due to wildfires at Gounsa Temple in Uiseong, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)
(Photo Credit : REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji)
6 / 8Five days of wildfires, considered among South Korea’s worst, have left 24 people dead, destroyed more than 300 structures and forced more than 28,000 residents to evacuate, officials said Wednesday. Firefighters work at the Gounsa temple devastated by a wildfire in Uiseong, South Korea, March 27, 2025.REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
(Photo Credit : REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji)
7 / 8The Gounsa temple was reportedly originally built in 681 A.D. during the Shilla dynasty that ruled more than half of the Korean Peninsula. It is nestled at the foot of Deungun Mountain in the southeastern town of Uiseong. While it doesn’t house buildings constructed during that ancient period, it is home to several famous cultural heritages built later.
(Photo Credit : Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)
8 / 8Both were constructed during the Joseon dynasty, the last one on the Korean Peninsula, and were given the government designation of “treasure,” a status given to old buildings, paintings and other cultural assets with historic and artistic significance and which receive state-level protection and maintenance. A bell is seen broken at the remains of the bell pavilion due to wildfires at Gounsa Temple in Uiseong, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)
