South Korea: Massive fire destroys 60 homes in densely populated slum area in Seoul

A massive fire broke out inside one of the last remaining slums in South Korea's capital on Friday, forcing 500 people to flee their homes ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, authorities said.

Video posted online showed flames tearing through Guryong village, a shantytown in the shadows of high-rise luxury towers in Seoul's Gangnam district, which was made famous by rapper Psy's global hit "Gangnam Style".

The blaze, which began at around 6:30 am, is believed to have burned down around 60 homes, but was extinguished by around noon, according to authorities.

No casualties have been reported and the cause of the fire is still unknown, they added.

"We are thinking of carrying out an additional investigation into the case," Choi Jae-young, an official from the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters, told AFP.

Residents said they were not surprised by the blaze.

"There have been a lot of safety concerns in the community when it comes to fire, and it looks like they were never acknowledged properly" by authorities, Lee Woon-chul, 65, who has lived in the village for 30 years, told AFP.

"The houses are very old, and the electric wires are dangerous and have been poorly managed. Sparks inside houses have been common," he said.

(AFP)