South Korea's centuries-old Gounsa temple is left in ruins by unprecedented wildfires

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Unprecedented wildfires ripping through South Korea’s southern regions have destroyed large parts of an ancient Buddhist temple complex, burning down two buildings that had been designated national treasures.

Five days of wildfires, considered among South Korea’s worst, have left 24 people dead, destroyed more than 300 structures and forced more than 28,000 residents to evacuate, officials said Wednesday.

The Gounsa temple was reportedly originally built in 681 A.D. during the Shilla dynasty that ruled more than half of the Korean Peninsula. It is nestled at the foot of Deungun Mountain in the southeastern town of Uiseong. While it doesn’t house buildings constructed during that ancient period, it is home to several famous cultural heritages built later.

The temple was engulfed in flames on Tuesday as strong winds fanned the wildfires. About 20 of its 30 buildings and structures were completely burned down, including the revered Gaunru, a pavilion-shaped structure built in 1668 overlooking a stream, and Yeonsujeon, built in 1904 to mark the longevity of a king, according to the state-run Korea Heritage Service.

Both were constructed during the Joseon dynasty, the last one on the Korean Peninsula, and were given the government designation of “treasure,” a status given to old buildings, paintings and other cultural assets with historic and artistic significance and which receive state-level protection and maintenance.

“I went there this morning and found they’ve been reduced to heaps of ashes," said Doryun, a senior monk who had lived at the temple for more than three years when he was younger. "I feel really empty. Life is transient.”

Doryun now works for a Buddhist organization in charge of the temple. He said that monks and Buddhist faithful managed to move the temple's third “treasure,” a stone Buddha statue reportedly built in the 8th century, to a safe place.

“Many buildings were burned down, but we moved and protected other sacred assets so that we can maintain the temple. We feel it’s very fortunate,” Doryun told The Associated Press over the phone.

Doryun also said about 20 monks and other workers live at the temple, but none have been injured.

The Korea Heritage Service said the temple’s two other lower-level cultural assets, including a stone pagoda, have also been found intact.

A burnt-out fishing boat is seen at a damaged port due to wildfires in Yeongdeok, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)

A person walks past houses destroyed by wildfires at a village in Yeongyang, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)

A bell is seen broken at the remains of the bell pavilion due to wildfires at Gounsa Temple in Uiseong, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)

The remains of burnt-out pavilions due to wildfires are seen at the Gounsa temple in Uiseong, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)

Pavilions are seen at the Gounsa temple in Uiseong, South Korea, Feb. 11, 2025. (Baek Seung-reol/Yonhap via AP)

A U.S. passenger flight preparing to leave the nation's capital and an incoming military jet received instructions to divert and prevent a possible collision, officials said.

Delta Air Lines Flight 2983 was cleared for takeoff at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Friday around 3:15 p.m., the same time four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon aircraft were inbound, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

The jets were heading for a flyover of Arlington National Cemetery when the Delta aircraft received an onboard alert of a nearby aircraft. Air traffic controllers “issued corrective instructions to both aircraft,” according to the FAA, which intends to investigate.

According to a recording of air traffic control communications, Delta's pilot asked, "Was there an actual aircraft about 500 ft below us as we came off of DCA?”

In a recording archived by aviation site LiveATC.net, the controller responded: “Delta 2983, affirmative.”

The Airbus A319 with 131 passengers, two pilots and three flight attendants was embarking on a regularly scheduled flight between Reagan and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Delta Airlines said.

The flight left its gate at 2:55 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive at Minneapolis-St. Paul at 4:36 p.m. local time before the flight crew followed the diversion instructions from the controllers, the airline said.

No injuries were reported.

The Air Force's website describes the T-38 Talon as “a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer” used by different departments and agencies, including NASA, for various roles including pilot training.

The incident comes just two months after a midair collision above the same airport killed 67 people. The Jan. 29 crash between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter was the deadliest U.S. plane crash in more than two decades. Both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River, killing everyone aboard.

Associated Press reporter Julie Walker contributed from New York.

FILE - The air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is pictured, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)