Tourists against social distancing Tourists view the sunrise on a beach in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Dec. 22, 2020, disobeying social distancing rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Yonhap)
Discarded potatoesPotatoes are left to rot in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on July 9, 2020, as farmers gave up harvesting them after the fields were inundated by rainfall of more than 200 millimeters in the region in recent days. (Yonhap)
Another example of the poor safety culture in South Korea:
Investigators of the National Forensic Service check a ventilation pipe at a holiday home in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Wednesday, one day after three high school students dies and seven was left unconscious, Tuesday. / Yonhap
Police said Wednesday that they had found a ventilation defect in a gas boiler at a holiday home in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, tentatively concluding that carbon monoxide poisoning killed three high school students and left seven unconscious the day before.
During an investigation of the two-story property, police tested the gas-powered boiler and found that its ventilation pipe emitted a high level of fumes.
The test came after police set up an ad-hoc investigation headquarters and inspected the vacation home. They found that the gas boiler’s ventilation pipe was not properly connected and this was the probable cause of the incident.
This backed up an earlier finding that the level of carbon monoxide in the students’ room was 155 parts per million (ppm), well above the standard 20 ppm.
In examining the three dead students, pathologists found that the carbon monoxide levels in their blood were far above the fatal level, adding no other toxic substances were detected.
“We conducted combustion tests repeatedly and found that the boiler emitted a large quantity of exhaust fumes from the faulty pipe,” said a police officer, adding investigators plan to do more tests on the boiler jointly with the National Forensic Service (NFS) and the Korea Gas Safety Corp.
In addition, there was no alarm system for gas leaks at the vacation home ― although this was not illegal.
A Coast Guard officer views a dolphin found dead on a beach in the city of Gangneung on South Korea’s east coast on Nov. 9, 2018. The 100-kilogram dolphin will be sold at a fishery market. (Yonhap)
If anyone wants to get a dose of live North Korean cultural propaganda next month is your chance:
These photos taken Jan. 23, 2017 show the Gangneung Arts Center in Gangneung, 260 km east of Seoul, (top) and the National Theater of Korea in Seoul. (Yonhap)
North Korea has selected two concert venues in South Korea for its proposed art performances celebrating the PyeongChang Winter Olympics next month, the unification ministry said Tuesday.
In a message sent to South Korea on Tuesday night, North Korea said its art troupe hopes to perform at the Gangneung Arts Center in Gangneung on Feb. 8 and at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Feb. 11, the ministry said.
Gangneung, a coastal city located about 260 kilometers east of Seoul, is one of the Olympic venues along with nearby PyeongChang.
North Korea said its delegation plans to cross the land border into South Korea on Feb. 6 for the concerts before returning home on Feb. 12, according to the message, which was released by the ministry. [Yonhap]
A harbor seal hunts a gray mullet in a stream in Gangneung on South Korea’s east coast on Oct. 13, 2017. The endangered animal is designated as the country’s Natural Monument No. 331. (Yonhap)
It has been a while since there has been a large wildfire in Gangwon-do, but it seems this is the area where they tend to happen the most at:
The Gangneung city government said more than 2,500 residents were ordered to flee Saturday as a wind-fed forest fire spread in the eastern city.
About 300 residents are known to have fled from their homes after the blaze started on a hill near Daegwallyeong, a mountain pass close to the east coast, at around 3:30 p.m., according to city officials.
A total of 30 private houses were damaged by the fire as of 10 p.m., but no casualties have been reported, they said.
The residents took shelter at nearby schools and other public facilities, officials said.
Traffic along some parts of a nearby expressway was temporarily restricted but returned to normal at 10 p.m.
About 2,700 people, including hundreds of firefighters, soldiers, police officers and government officials, have been dispatched to fight the fire, but they are struggling to extinguish it, the officials said. [Yonhap]
A drone demonstrates dropping lifesavers to swimmers in distress at Gyeongpodae Beach in Gangneung, about 240 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on July 8, 2016, as the beach opens to the public along with dozens of others on the east coast. (Yonhap)
