Fire burns hanok roof at Hahoe folk village

A fire broke out Monday at Hahoe folk village, a UNESCO World Heritage site near Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. 

The blaze started around 4:50 p.m. at a “hanok,” or traditional Korean house – one of several preserved in the village -- and burned about 30 square meters of its thatched roof before being extinguished about 5 minutes later, Yonhap News reported.

No casualties were reported. Firefighters suspect a cigarette discarded by a tourist caused the fire.

By Lee Sun-young
(milaya@heraldcorp.com)