Firefighters confronted the blazes in the country’s southeast over the weekend. Most had been extinguished by Monday, but dry and windy conditions persisted.

At least three firefighters and a public servant have been killed in a wildfire in South Korea, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency in southeastern regions, authorities said on Saturday.

Sinkholes are especially common during two critical seasons: spring, when frozen ground thaws, and summer, when heavy rains soak and erode underground soil. Government data shows that, since 2018, nearly 76 per cent of all sinkhole incidents occurred during these two periods alone – 371 cases in spring and 647 in summer.