Fire breaks out in jewelry district in downtown Seoul

A fire broke out at a building in the Jongno 3-ga jewelry district in central Seoul on Friday evening, triggering full traffic restrictions in the area.

The blaze began around 6:08 p.m. in a wooden two-story building located in Myo-dong, Jongno District, according to fire authorities. Seventy-three firefighters and 20 vehicles were dispatched to contain the fire.

No casualties have been reported so far, but traffic along Donhwamun-ro — from Jongno 3-ga to the Changdeok Palace Intersection — has been completely restricted in both directions.

At 6:19 p.m., the Jongno District Office issued a safety alert via text message, warning of heavy smoke and urging people in the area to take caution and use alternate routes.

Authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire once it is fully extinguished.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY KIM EUN-BIN [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]