South Korea fire spurs evacuation of 500 from shanty town

Smoke rises from a fire at Guryong village, the last slum in the glitzy Gangnam district, in Seoul, South Korea, January 20, 2023. Yonhap via REUTERS

SEOUL (Reuters) -About 500 people were evacuated on Friday after fire broke out in a shanty town in the South Korean capital, Seoul, burning down some 60 houses, fire authorities said.

The fire erupted at 6:27 a.m. (0927 GMT) in Guryong Village in southern Seoul, which is home to more than 660 households, and was extinguished about five hours later.