(LEAD) About 500 people evacuated after fire rages through slum in Seoul

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in paras 5-8; AMENDS headline)
By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- About 500 people were evacuated from homes Friday due to a fire in Guryong Village, the last remaining slum in Seoul, fire authorities said.

The blaze broke out at 6:28 a.m. in the fourth district of the village, located in Seoul's Gangnam Ward, they said.

Currently, there are around 666 households in the village.

The authorities said they are putting forth all-out efforts to contain the fire by dispatching 140 firefighters.

President Yoon Suk Yeol called for maximum efforts in the mobilization of all available firefighters and equipment to ensure there are no casualties, according to his spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye.

Interior Minister Lee Sang-min also ordered officials to prevent any secondary damage and protect residents living nearby, the ministry said.

The village is located in the southern part of Gangnam Ward, which has the country's most expensive real estate. It was formed in the 1980s, when poor residents of the region were forced to move out of their homes as the city carried out development projects.

khj@yna.co.kr

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