We escaped the flames, but...
Written : 2025-03-28 20:00:00 KST
"We escaped the flames, but lost everything": Inside S. Korea's wildfire disaster
While we've just heard the long-awaited news, for many residents who lost their homes and even loved ones due to the devastating fire, the ordeal is far from over. They now face a long and difficult road to recovery. Our reporter Song Yoo-jin, who's been on the ground throughout the crisis, brings us this story on how the local community is coping. Fires move fast, but the scars they leave behind run deep. In South Korea's Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, wildfires tore through entire communities, leaving heartbreak, destruction, and a long road to recovery.
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devastating 대단히 파괴적인, 엄청난 손상을 가하는 (=disastrous), 엄청나게 충격적인
ordeal 시련
be far from over 끝난 게 아니다
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This is all that's left of the Seokbo-myeon neighborhood in the province's Yeongyang-gun County. "This is one of the hardest-hit areas, where wildfires have been raging for several days now. As you can see, smoke is still rising from rooftops. This car has been burned right down to its frame. And entire homes have been reduced to rubble." Six people from Seokbo-myeon died trying to escape the flames. Every single fatality in the county came from here. Lee Sang-hak is the head of one of the villages of Seokbo-myeon.
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rubble (허물어진 건물의) 돌무더기[잔해]
fatality [ fəˈtæləti ] (생명에 관계되는) 재난, 사고; 불행한 일, 재앙; (재난에 의한) 죽음; 사망자
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"I had just gotten off work when I saw smoke everywhere on my way home. Something felt off. We could barely see a thing. And then, in just five seconds, it started raining fire. I rushed to spray water and told my daughter to get out of the house. There were some old ladies still inside. One couldn't walk, so I carried her out and got her into the car. My ribs are in bad shape now, but at the time, I didn't even feel them. No one in our village died, thankfully, but everything was burned."
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raining fire 불꽃이 빗발처럼 퍼붓다.
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The community is still in shock. Neighbors are checking in on one another, some discovering only now just how much they've lost. "You didn't get hit?" "Of course we did. Our house burned down too. Only four houses didn't. The rest are gone. Ours is completely gone. There's still smoke coming out of it." Their homes weren't the only things destroyed. Their farms, their tools, their way of life, all gone. "What am I supposed to do now? I don't even have a single farming tool left. If I found the person who caused this fire, I'd want to tear them apart."
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tear apart ~을 갈가리 찢어[뜯어] 버리다
[ teə(r) ]
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"It felt like helicopters were dropping fireballs because I could see fires here and then there. So I escaped in my car. I'm 72, and I've been living here since I was eight. I've never seen a fire like this in my lifetime." Park Sun-ok has been running her magnolia berry farm for two decades. She's thankful that she's alive, but this question lingers in her mind: What's she going to do now? "I put everything into two warehouses, both worth about 80 million won. Now they're gone. My heart is still pounding. There's no electricity, no water, and nothing to eat. Our magnolia berries? Completely burned."
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fireball 불덩이
magnolia berry 오미자
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Relief supplies are arriving: food, water, and clothes. In neighboring Andong, thousands have evacuated to shelters like this city gymnasium. "I was a farmer. Now, I have nothing but my pension. We grew apples and magnolia berries, all of it burned. Everything's gone." "I never imagined something like this could happen to me. Only on TV. Never here." This disaster shelter offers tents, meals, bedding, and counseling for those overwhelmed by the loss. "We're providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Also, mental health support through counseling for residents who are feeling anxious and disoriented after losing their homes so suddenly." And it's not just emotional wounds.
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relief supplies 구호 물품
nothing but 오직, 그저[단지] …일 뿐인
pension 생활 보조금
disoriented 어찌할 바를 모르는
disorient 갈피를 못 잡게 하다
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Healing here means caring for both the mind and the body. "We're seeing a lot of respiratory symptoms: coughing, runny nose, phlegm, and headaches, as many here were exposed to smoke." Once vital signs are checked, "Since you still have a headache, I'll give you the same medication. But your blood pressure and blood sugar are high, so I think you’ll need a checkup later." Those in need of further care are guided to nearby hospitals for more specialized treatment. Relief services like these offer a critical lifeline, but they're temporary. But rebuilding an entire life from scratch takes time.
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vital sign 바이탈 사인, 활력 징후(사람이 살아 있음을 보여주는 호흡, 체온, 심장 박동 등의 측정치)
critical lifeline 중대한 구명줄
from scratch 맨 처음부터
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The government has promised to go all out in support. "The government will do its utmost to provide emergency relief and all necessary administrative and financial support to help them return to their daily lives as quickly as possible." The voices of these people, people who lived through what can only be described as apocalyptic, need to be heard now more than ever. "I don't want much. Just help rebuilding my home. In my 80-some years of life, I've never seen anything like this." "Please we need help from the government. We ran out with nothing. Just the clothes on our backs." From the ashes of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, a community fights to hold on, to memories, to hope, and to each other. Song Yoo-jin, Arirang News, Andong.
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apocalyptic [ ə|pɑːkə|lɪptɪk ] 종말론적인, 세상에 종말이 온 듯한
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