Almost 500 people evacuated as fire breaks out at National Assembly building in Seoul

A fire broke out at a hall of the National Assembly in western Seoul on Saturday, forcing nearly 500 people to evacuate, authorities said, Yonhap reported.

The fire began at 11:52 a.m. at the reception hall of the National Assembly compound in Yeouido, which houses a pressroom and a wedding hall, and around 480 people, including reporters and wedding guests, evacuated, according to fire authorities.

Of them, six received treatment after inhaling smoke, though no serious injuries were reported, they added.

The blaze was completely under control at around 1 p.m., and an investigation is under way into the exact cause of the accident.

Earlier,  it was reported that heavy snow blanketed South Korea's capital area in November, with more than 40 centimeters of snowfall seen in Gyeonggi Province