More than a dozen different blazes broke out over the weekend, with the death toll jumping overnight as one major fire tore through villages and burned a historical temple to the ground.
The government has raised the crisis alert to its highest level and declared a “a full-scale national response” to bring the fires under control.
“Eighteen people died in the wildfires,” a ministry of safety official said.
“Additionally, six people were seriously injured and 13 suffered minor injuries.”
Dry, windy weather has hampered efforts to contain the fires, with the government taking the rare step of evacuating thousands of prisoners out of detention centres in affected counties.
On Tuesday, authorities issued an emergency alert for Hahoe Folk Village – a Unesco-listed world heritage site popular with tourists – as the blaze drew closer.
“Wildfires burning for a fifth-consecutive day in Ulsan and the Gyeongsang region are causing unprecedented damage,” Han said.
He told an emergency safety and disaster meeting that the blazes were “developing in a way that is exceeding both existing prediction models and earlier expectations.”
Authorities launched emergency evacuations on Tuesday afternoon “but sadly, casualties could not be prevented,” he said.
“Throughout the night, chaos continued as power and communication lines were cut in several areas and roads were blocked,” he added.
Thousands of firefighters have been deployed, but “strong winds reaching speeds of 25 metres per second persisted from yesterday afternoon through the night, forcing the suspension of helicopter and drone operations,” Han said.
“Constantly shifting wind directions and ongoing dry weather advisories have revealed the limitations of conventional firefighting methods,” he added.
Han said the government has launched a “full-scale national response”.
Evacuees sheltering in the gym of Sinsung elementary school said the fire had hit their villages so quickly they did not have time to take anything with them as they fled.
“The wind was so strong,” Kwon So-han, a 79-year-old resident in Andong said, adding that as soon as he got the evacuation order he fled.
“The fire came from the mountain and fell on my house,” he said.
“Those who haven’t experienced it won’t know. I could only bring my body.”
Rain is forecast for late Wednesday, with authorities hoping to capitalise on even a light sprinkling to help extinguish the fires. (AFP)
