South Korean village mourns leader and family killed trying to flee wildfires

By Joyce Lee, Minwoo Park and Daewoung Kim

As the flames of a raging wildfire swept towards the town of Samui-ri in South Korea's mountainous southeast this week, a village leader surnamed Kwon rushed home to try to help his family and neighbours.

Instead, his body and those of his wife and another family member were found hours later on Tuesday, near the burnt-out hulk of their car on the road to the village, which escaped intact South Korea's worst wildfires that killed at least 28.

"The fire was so thick, he couldn't see his way ... he is the head of the village, he felt he should come back," said his next-door neighbour, 71-year-old Moon Han-sick.

Moon wore a black suit and tie in mourning on Friday as residents gathered at a temporary memorial of white flowers in Kwon's front yard ahead of a funeral for the victims.

"He did all the hard work in the village ... Elderly people have a hard time farming, they're not good with machinery, he would just go and do it for them," Moon told Reuters.

Kwon would often bring him gifts such as the peppers and cabbage he grew, Moon added.

Kwon, 65, was one of the six killed in Yeongyang, a county with a population of about 15,000 sprawling over 816 sq km (315 sq miles) of mountain terrain swathed in pine forests, dotted in places with towering white wind turbines to generate power.

The flames travelled so fast they reached people's doorsteps within minutes after they had received the first warning, villagers said, sometimes from the fleeing residents of other villages.

Rain and at one point snow fell in Yeongyang, signalling the end of the disaster on Friday, as authorities declared the fires in North Gyeongsang province were contained, after having raged for almost a week.

"The victims were completely isolated," said Oh Do-chang, the county governor, who declared five days of mourning.

"Some died while eating dinner because their homes caught fire so suddenly, while others died on the way to warn others of the fire."

Kwon leaves behind bereaved loved ones, an empty house, and the new apple trees he planted in his field.

"He was always devoted and generous," said a teary-eyed member of his family, Woo Seung-ho, 55. "I hope you are comfortable in heaven, let's meet again."