Oh Se-hoon cancels dinner with lawmakers, heads to Guryong Village fire scene

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon issued an emergency order Tuesday directing city authorities to mobilize all available personnel and equipment to swiftly extinguish a fire that broke out in Guryong Village in Gaepodong, Gangnam-gu, putting residents' safety first.

After chairing an emergency meeting to review the situation, Oh canceled a dinner he had planned for Tuesday evening with People Power Party lawmakers and was set to head to the fire scene. He plans to reschedule his series of meetings with political figures.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Oh ordered fire authorities to proactively raise the response level to Stage 2, given the area's density of temporary structures that could allow flames to spread rapidly, and to concentrate firefighting resources quickly to contain the blaze.

He also directed the second deputy mayor for administration to go immediately to the scene to oversee firefighting operations and resident evacuations, and to work closely with the fire department, police, Gangnam-gu and other relevant agencies to ensure residents' safety.

Noting that the fire site is adjacent to forested land, Oh ordered Gangnam-gu's parks and green spaces division to immediately assess conditions on the ground and take necessary measures, including establishing firebreaks to prevent the fire from spreading into the forest.

The fire broke out at Guryong Village at around 3:49 p.m. Tuesday for undetermined reasons. No injuries or missing persons had been confirmed as of Tuesday afternoon, and authorities said 39 residents had evacuated on their own. Heavy smoke from the fire was spotted as far away as Dobong-gu in Seoul and Anyang in Gyeonggi Province.

Fire authorities raised the response level to Stage 1 at 3:59 p.m. and escalated it to Stage 2 at 4:29 p.m. as the fire continued to spread. A total of 210 personnel, 51 pieces of equipment and helicopters have been deployed in firefighting efforts. Police are controlling access to the fire scene and nearby roads.

Gangnam-gu sent emergency disaster text alerts to residents and set up a temporary medical station in preparation for potential casualties, with an emergency medical response system in operation. Fire authorities said they plan to investigate the cause of the fire and assess property damage and the extent of any injuries once the blaze is brought under control.

According to the Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation, the number of households in Guryong Village — which once stood at 1,107 — has fallen to 54 households with 54 residents as redevelopment has progressed.

Regarding the canceled dinner, Oh's office said a new date would be arranged. "We plan to reschedule the dinner with the lawmakers," a Seoul Metropolitan Government official said.

Monday evening, Oh had hosted a dinner at his official residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, for eight People Power Party lawmakers and Reform Party lawmaker Lee Jun-seok — a gesture of thanks to those who had come to the courthouse to show their support after he was acquitted Friday in an appeal in the "Myung Tae-kyun poll payment" case. Tuesday's dinner had originally been planned with five People Power Party lawmakers: Kwon Young-jin, Eom Tae-young, Kim So-hee, Park Su-min and Seo Myeong-ok.