President Moon Jae-in has declared the eastern coastal areas of Uljin and Samcheok a special disaster zone after they suffered serious damage from a massive wildfire.

According to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee on Sunday, Moon approved the declaration at around 2:50 p.m. after meeting with displaced people at a shelter in Uljin.

President Moon told the local residents that the government would do its best to provide support through recovery efforts to help them restore normalcy in their daily lives.

The spokesperson said Moon will seek a similar move for the Gangneung and Donghae areas in Gangwon Province after authorities extinguish the wildfire in the region and assess the damage.

The designation allows the central government to inject additional support to restoration efforts. Special disaster zones are eligible to receive state funds for up to 70 percent of restoration expenses for private facilities and up to 50 percent for public facilities.

Residents who suffered damage from the blaze will also be eligible for disaster relief payouts and utility fee deductions.