TRANSPORTATION OF NATIONAL TREASURES

[Anchor Lead]

Priceless treasures kept at Buryeongsa Temple in Uljin have been transported to a safe area as wildfires continue to ravage the county. Firefighters and monks are struggling to protect the millennial temple from destruction.

[Pkg]

Officials from the Cultural Heritage Administration carefully packs up an enormous Buddhist painting. It's the "Yeongsanhoesangdo," a painting depicting Shakyamuni Buddha. It was created during the reign of Joseon's King Yeongjo. Another Buddhist treasure, a palanquin used in ancient rituals, is also packed with extra care and loaded onto a vehicle equipped with anti-vibration features.

[Soundbite] Ven. Irun(Buryeongsa Temple) : "It was disturbing to hear that the flames were moving in this direction. Buryeongsa is a historical ancient temple built 1400 years ago."

Fallen leaves were removed and water was sprinkled around the Eungjinjeon and
Daeungbojeon halls, also designated as national treasures. The temple's three-story stone pagoda, a cultural asset of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, has been covered in a thick fire blanket.

[Soundbite] Seo Kwang-ho(Gyeongbuk Prov. Cultural Protection Center) : "If the pagoda catches fire, the granite may break."

As the flames approached the temple as close as just 5 km away, forest and firefighting authorities dispatched six fire trucks and set up a fire-arresting line. Some 20 officials from the Cultural Heritage Administration are currently on stand-by.

[Soundbite] Kim Hyun-mo(Cultural Heritage Administration) : "We could lose priceless relics if we don't protect it using everything we've got."

So far, the wildfires have destroyed only one cultural treasure — Eodalsan Bongsudae in Donghae, a coastal fire signaling beacon from the Goryeo Kingdom and a cultural asset of Gangwon-do Province.