Spring Wildfire 'Alert'... Korea Forest Service Urges National Attention and Participation for Wildfire Prevention

A wildfire suppression team member from the Korea Forest Service's Forest Aviation Headquarters is conducting wildfire suppression work at a wildfire site in Ungchon-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan City. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The risk of spring forest fires is increasing due to clear and dry weather. The Korea Forest Service has urged that public interest and participation in forest fire prevention are more crucial than ever, considering these conditions.

According to the Korea Forest Service on the 20th, the nationwide weather from the 21st to 22nd is expected to be clear and dry, raising the risk of forest fires. Additionally, strong winds across the country increase the possibility that small sparks could lead to large-scale forest fires.

In response, the Korea Forest Service plans to mobilize all staff, including the Central Joint Mobile Inspection Team, to crack down on illegal burning and engage in comprehensive forest fire prevention and monitoring activities over the weekend.

First, the Korea Forest Service will send staff to vulnerable forest fire areas to educate and crack down on illegal burning activities. They will also deploy a drone surveillance team, with 16 drones focusing on monitoring seven towns and townships in Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do.

This weekend, about 10,000 forest fire suppression personnel, including 576 government officials, 423 special firefighting squads, and 9,022 prevention firefighting squads, will be deployed nationwide to prepare for any emergency situations that may arise.

In particular, the Korea Forest Service will deploy 35 forest helicopters, including three ultra-large forest fire suppression helicopters, focusing on the East Coast region of Gangwon-do, where forest fires occur relatively frequently, and other areas requiring forest fire caution, maintaining a readiness posture.

Additionally, 1,291 forest fire suppression vehicles necessary for ground firefighting will be stationed on-site to ensure that equipment can be deployed promptly and appropriately in case of an incident.

Forest Service spokesperson Lee Yong-seok is holding a regular briefing at the Government Daejeon Complex on the 20th. Photo by Forest Service

Earlier, from the 14th to the 19th, a total of 61 forest fires occurred nationwide, with the damaged area estimated at about 210 hectares. This is more than 300 times the size of a soccer field.

Especially during the weekend of the 14th to 15th and on the 19th, a total of 42 fires (69% of all fires) occurred, showing a strong tendency for forest fires to concentrate on weekends when crowds gather in the mountains and on days with strong winds.

Above all, during this period, more than 60% of forest fires were caused by minor mistakes such as illegal garbage burning, careless handling of fire by visitors, and other negligence.

Lee Yong-seok, spokesperson for the Korea Forest Service, said, “Forest fires are a national disaster that can destroy forests nurtured for over 100 years in just a few minutes or hours. We ask the public to take an interest in forest fire prevention and participate so that we can protect and enjoy our forests, which have been carefully cultivated for a long time.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.