Hundreds of people have been evacuated after a fire broke out in a slum in Seoul

In Seoul, a fire broke out in one of the last slums of the South Korean capital. About sixty houses caught fire, often no more than a shack built of wood and cardboard.

The fire broke out at around 6:30 a.m. local time. Hundreds of firefighters, police officers and social workers helped put out the fire and evacuated residents. Ten helicopters have also been deployed to fight the fires. The fire was extinguished after five hours.

These pictures show how the fire caught:

As far as is known, no one was killed or injured. About 500 residents were housed elsewhere, including a gym. They are expected to return home soon. The residents of the burning houses are temporarily housed in a hotel.

The Goryeong slum is located at the southern end of the very affluent Gangnam district, which is home to some of Seoul’s most expensive apartment complexes and chicest shopping streets.

It is the largest and most famous slum in the capital of South Korea. It is estimated that there are about a thousand people living there and there are more than 600 homes.

The neighborhood arose in the second half of the 1980s, and hundreds of people moved there after losing their homes due to the massive construction boom that accompanied the organization of the 1986 Asian Games and the Olympic Games two years later. The military rulers of the time wanted to beautify the capital, which in particular meant that the less prosperous quarters were razed to the ground.

The local government had plans to redevelop Guryong for more than ten years, but it still could not reach an agreement with the landowners and residents. The owners want to be compensated for lost income. The various governments also argue about whether they should help the inhabitants, who have more or less occupied the land, to find a new home.