Centuries-old Gounsa temple left in ruins following unprecedented wildfires

Unprecedented wildfires ripping through South Korea’s southern regions have destroyed large parts of an ancient Buddhist temple, ruining two of its three state-designated “treasures.”

Five days of wildfires, considered one of South Korea’s worst, have left 24 people dead, destroyed more than 200 structures and forced 27,000 people to evacuate, officials said yesterday.

The Gounsa temple was reportedly built in the 7th century during the Shilla dynasty that ruled the area and other parts of the Korean Peninsula at the time. It is nestled at the foot of Deungun Mountain in the southeastern town of Uiseong. While it doesn’t house buildings constructed in the ancient period, it is home to several famous cultural heritages built later.

The temple, believed to have been erected in 681 A.D., was engulfed in flames on Tuesday when the wildfires worsened due to strong winds. About 20 of the temple’s 30 buildings and structures were completely burned down, including the two revered structures: “Gaunru,” a pavilion-shaped structure built in 1668 overlooking a stream, and “Yeonsujeon,” another traditional structure built in 1904 to mark the longevity of a king, according to the state-run Korea Heritage Service.

Both were built during the Joseon dynasty, the last on the Korean Peninsula and were given the status of “treasure,” a government-designated status given to old buildings, paintings and other cultural assets with historic and artistic significance that receive state-level protection and maintenance.

“I went there this morning and found they’ve been reduced to heaps of ashes,” said Doryun, a senior monk who lived at the temple for more than three years when he was younger. “I feel really empty. Life is transient,”

Doryun now works for a Buddhist organization in charge of the temple. He said that monks and Buddhist faithful managed to move the temple’s third “treasure,” a stone Buddha statue reportedly built in the 8th century, to a safe place.

“Many buildings were burned down, but we moved and protected other sacred assets so that we maintain the temple. We feel it’s very fortunate,” Doryun told The Associated Press over the phone.

Doryun also said about 20 monks and other workers live at the temple, but none have been injured.

The Korea Heritage Service said the temple’s two other lower-level cultural assets, including a stone pagoda, have also been found intact. HYUNG-JIN KIM, SEOUL, MDT/AP