South Korea Fire in Seoul's last shanty town
Around 260 people have been evacuated following a fire in one of the last shanty towns in the South Korean capital Seoul.
16.01.2026, 09:46
SDA
South Korea's official news agency Yonhap reported that a total of 180 people lost their homes in the fire in the Guryong district in the south of Seoul.
According to current information from the authorities, no one was killed by the fire and no injuries have been reported. The fire has now been brought under control by more than 1,200 firefighters.
The Guryong district was built in the 1980s and was mainly inhabited by people who had to vacate their original homes due to large-scale urban development projects in Seoul.
Guryong is considered a symbol of the high inequality between rich and poor in South Korea, as the neighborhood is located in close proximity to the glamorous Gangnam district - one of the most expensive areas of Seoul.
The exact cause of the fire is not yet known. However, fires have repeatedly broken out in Guryong over the years, partly due to the dense development and the rudimentary safety standards of the buildings.
