Cheongmyeong and Hansik Wildfire Crackdown Strengthened... Korea Forest Service "Strict Punishment for Wildfire Offenders Without Leniency"

Analysis of wildfires by cause from April 4 to 6 over the past 10 years shows that careless causes such as arson by hikers, arson by grave visitors, and burning of field edges accounted for more than 70% of all wildfires. A significant number of wildfires during this period were caused by simple mistakes or negligence. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Il-woong] “Until now, there have been many cases where acts of arson causing forest fires were glorified without guilt under the guise of sentimentalism. However, from now on, those who cause forest fires will receive appropriate punishment, and compensation responsibility for infringing on others' property rights will inevitably follow.”

On the 3rd, Park Jong-ho, the Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, firmly expressed his determination to crack down on forest fires and punish offenders ahead of Cheongmyeong (April 4) and Hansik (April 5).

The Korea Forest Service has issued a special nationwide forest fire prevention alert during this period, when the risk of large forest fires is high, and is strengthening efforts to apprehend forest fire offenders.

Earlier, from March 23 to 29, 21 forest fire offenders were caught on the spot and are undergoing judicial procedures. Among them were individuals who deliberately set forest fires in Jincheon, Chungbuk (March 15), and Yeosu, Jeonnam (March 24), and were caught by forest fire monitoring personnel on stakeout while descending the mountain.

Over the past five years, a total of 1,219 people have been identified and booked as forest fire offenders, of whom 920 received criminal punishment along with fines totaling 664 million KRW. Notably, one person was sentenced to five years in prison, and another to ten months in prison with 80 million KRW in damages, sounding a warning against forest fire offenses.

However, recently, with clear and dry weather, the occurrence of forest fires continues, influenced by social atmospheres such as the parliamentary elections and the novel coronavirus infection. In fact, from January to the end of March this year, 245 large and small forest fires occurred nationwide, and the number of incidents continues to rise steadily.

Recent 5-year status of wildfire offenders apprehension (above) and judicial processing of wildfire offenders (below). Provided by the Korea Forest Service

In response, the Korea Forest Service is deploying undercover personnel composed of forest judicial police officers and forest fire suppression teams to blind spots and vulnerable areas where forest fires frequently occur, enabling surprise crackdowns on forest fires and focusing on prevention and control.

Additionally, based on current laws, they plan to impose appropriate punishments on detected forest fire offenders. Article 53, Paragraphs 1 and 5 of the Forest Protection Act stipulate that arson in forest protection zones can be punished by imprisonment of not less than seven years and not more than fifteen years.

In particular, even if a forest fire is caused by simple negligence, the offender may face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million KRW, and under Article 750 of the Civil Act, they are also liable for damages.

Separately, the Korea Forest Service operates a reward system to promote forest fire prevention and reporting. This system provides rewards of up to 3 million KRW to citizens who report or contribute to the capture of those who light fires within or around forests.

Park Jong-ho, Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, said, “Appropriate punishment under the Forest Protection Act is necessary for forest offenders, and it is only natural that they bear compensation responsibility for damage to others' property in some cases. The Korea Forest Service will make every effort to ensure efficient forest fire prevention by combining monitoring and crackdowns during the weekend Cheongmyeong and Hansik periods.”

He also said, “We ask the public to take special interest and actively participate in forest fire prevention to protect our precious forests.”

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