Soldiers, fire trucks, Coast Guard ship deployed to supply water to drought-hit Gangneung

▲ The 5,000-ton Sam Bong Coast Guard patrol ship supplies water to fire trucks at Anin Port in the drought-hit city of Gangneung, about 210 kilometers east of Seoul, on Sept. 3, 2025. (Yonhap)

Gangneung-drought

Soldiers, fire trucks, Coast Guard ship deployed to supply water to drought-hit Gangneung

By Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- Full-scale efforts have been launched to supply water to the drought-hit city of Gangneung, deploying hundreds of soldiers, dozens of fire trucks and a Coast Guard patrol vessel, officials said Friday.

Last Saturday, the government declared the drought in the eastern coastal city as a state of disaster after the water storage level of its main water source fell to a record low of 15.7 percent.

Since then, the National Fire Agency has mobilized 71 fire trucks, while the Coast Guard has dispatched a 5,000-ton vessel tasked with patrolling the East Sea to supply water to the city.

On Thursday, the defense ministry began deploying some 800 troops and around 400 water tankers to supply water to Obong Reservoir, the city's main water source.

Other municipal governments, including the city of Incheon, just west of Seoul, have joined the effort to send bottled water and water tankers to Gangneung. Companies, including e-commerce giant Coupang, have also sent bottled water to the city.

As of Wednesday, Gangneung secured 2.47 million bottles of water and was set to distribute them to its residents.

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