South Korea deploys helicopters to contain fire in DMZ: Seoul military

South Korean military deploys helicopters to contain wildfire in DMZ, following deadliest wildfires in history.

“South Korean military deployed helicopters to contain a wildfire within the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the buffer zone separating the two Koreas,” it said on Friday (April 11, 2025).

The announcement comes after the country suffered its deadliest wildfires in history last month, which claimed more than 30 lives in its southeastern regions.

The cause of the fire which broke out on Thursday (April 10, 2025) afternoon in the Goseong area of Gangwon Province within the DMZ, is currently unknown, the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

"Two forest fire extinguishing helicopters from the Korea Forest Service have been deployed to extinguish the fire since around 06:30 today (2130 GMT Thursday)," it said.

“There are no reports of damage to personnel or infrastructure on the South Korean side,” it added.

"Our military conducted a North Korea guidance broadcast to the North before deploying ... helicopters," it said, adding that efforts to control the forest fire south of the border are "progressing smoothly".

It comes days after South Korea's military said its troops fired warning shots when around 10 North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the heavily fortified border in the DMZ.