Fire engulfs Guryong settlement in Seoul, woman injured — Korea Herald
In South Korea, a fire engulfed the temporary Guryong settlement in Gangnam District in southern Seoul. The blaze affected 107 residents from 77 households, and one woman sustained a minor leg injury. The fire, which began on Tuesday, was extinguished early Wednesday morning — nearly 13 hours after it broke out, Korea Herald reports.
Authorities arranged temporary accommodation for people affected by the fire at Gaepo and Guryong schools, as well as at nearby lodging facilities.
Challenging firefighting conditions
Police and fire services are investigating the cause of the fire. According to firefighters, darkness, strong winds and a lack of water for firefighting hampered operations. Homes in the settlement are densely packed, while narrow passageways restrict access for fire engines.
Many structures are built from flammable materials, including plywood, vinyl sheets and insulation. Aging electrical wiring is an additional risk. This fire occurred after major blazes in January 2026 and September 2025.
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Relocation and development
The Guryong settlement emerged in the 1970s and 1980s, when people displaced by the development of Gangnam settled in temporary homes. It is Seoul's last shantytown, covering an area of about 267,000 square meters. Many residents did not own the land beneath their homes; according to SH, fewer than 1% of residents owned their plots before the company acquired them.
Construction at the site has not yet begun. The city plans to build a residential complex with 3,739 apartments there: 1,691 homes for long-term rental under the jeonse system, 1,107 public rental housing units for former settlement residents, and 941 apartments for sale.
Of the initial 1,107 households, most have already moved, but about 140 remain. According to SH, the operator of Seoul's housing project, many of them are seeking the right to purchase an apartment in the new complex rather than return as public housing tenants. SH aims to begin construction in the first half of 2027 after relocating the remaining residents and is simultaneously pursuing legal proceedings to obtain possession of the properties.
