A fire that occurred at Jogyesa Temple on the morning of the 10th will result in the transfer of eight national heritage items (cultural properties) that were on display there to the National Palace Museum.
According to the fire authorities, at around 10:22 a.m. that day, a report was received at 119 stating, "A fire has occurred near the Daewoong Hall at Jogyesa Temple." The fire authorities determined that the fire started in the second-floor international conference hall of the Memorial Hall of Buddhist Culture and History of Korean Buddhism, a four-story building close to the Daewoong Hall.
Authorities deployed 306 personnel and 55 pieces of equipment for firefighting efforts. The fire was completely extinguished around 11:57 a.m., 1 hour and 35 minutes after it broke out. There were no casualties from the fire, and about 300 monks, staff members, and citizens, including 100 people in the international conference hall and 200 in the memorial hall, were evacuated to safety outside. The fire authorities are investigating the cause of the fire based on witness statements that the flames started from the ceiling air conditioner.
At the nearby Central Buddhist Museum, an exhibition titled "Ho-seon (毫仙) Ui-gyeom (義謙): The Buddha Appearing at the Tip of the Brush" was being held. The exhibition included a total of 33 national heritage items, featuring nine national treasures such as the Yongsan Assembly Painting of Sunchun Songgwangsa Temple and eight treasures including the Sixteen Arhats of Heungguksa Temple.
Although the fire did not spread to the Central Buddhist Museum, eight of the 33 items on display will be transferred to the National Palace Museum located within Gyeongbokgung Palace. While national treasures and treasure-level relics were shielded by glass and isolated from the outside, the eight items were exposed.
Seobong, the head monk of the Central Buddhist Museum, noted during a fire scene briefing that, "Fortunately, the fire did not spread to the exhibition hall and storage, so the items are safely preserved," but added, "Due to smoke from the fire, we are packaging the national heritage for transport in collaboration with the Korea Heritage Service and the National Palace Museum to ensure their safety."
The National Palace Museum plans to store the packaged national heritage in its underground storage when it is transported using a vibration-free vehicle. Seobong stated, "Firefighters had no choice but to break into the exhibition hall entrance to extinguish the fire," and added, "Once safety measures are secured and a sufficient security check is completed, we will negotiate with the National Palace Museum to return the heritage items."