Korean Monks Take Up Fire Fighting

Haeinsa Buddhist Temple located on Gaya Mountain in Gyeongsang province, South Korea is one of the country's most treasured temples. It house the complete copy of the Buddhist scriptures, the Tripitaka Koreana. The fully wooden temple was built in the 9th century but was rebuilt in the 19th centrey after it was devastated by a major fire in 1817. The temple's library together with the woodlocks of the Buddhist Scriptures it houses were designated as a Korean national treasure in 1962 and a UNESCO Heritage Site in 1995.

To protect the entire wooden temple and it's woodlocks of Buddhist Scriptures from fire, recently a fire fighting truck was donated to the temple and the resident monks were taught fire fighting skills.