Korea Forest Service Raises Wildfire Crisis Alert to 'Caution'... Strengthening Wildfire Response for Jeongwol Daeboreum

Last year during Jeongwol Daeboreum, citizens were playing Jwibulnori. Photo is unrelated to the article. Source=Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Korea Forest Service has raised the wildfire crisis alert to the "Caution" level and urged special attention to wildfires during traditional folk games around Jeongwol Daeboreum.

On the 14th, the Korea Forest Service announced that it would raise the wildfire crisis alert to the "Caution" level. In particular, it emphasized that the wildfire risk index this month has increased by 50% compared to last year, and that folk games such as Jwibulnori could be a cause of wildfires, urging participation in fire prevention.

This year, dry weather warnings have been frequently issued nationwide, and as of the 10th, the Korea Forest Service has recorded a total of 116 wildfires across the country. This is about twice the number compared to the same period last year, and most wildfires are analyzed to have occurred at night due to negligence by visitors to the mountains.

Accordingly, the Korea Forest Service has designated the period from the 14th to the 16th of this month as the Jeongwol Daeboreum special countermeasure period and plans to fully respond to wildfire prevention by strengthening the emergency duty system of the Central Wildfire Prevention Headquarters and more than 300 offices nationwide.

First, Jeongwol Daeboreum events that use fire outdoors will be guided to areas not adjacent to forests, and local responsible officials will be appointed to strengthen patrols.

In addition, wildfire suppression helicopters and wildfire suppression teams that can be mobilized will be kept on standby at all times in preparation for any emergencies.

Crackdowns on illegal activities will also be intensified. Surveillance personnel will be concentrated in wildfire risk and vulnerable areas, as well as mountain trail entrances, and burning activities near forest-adjacent areas will be strictly monitored. Violations will be severely punished according to the Forest Protection Act.

According to the current Forest Protection Act, entering forests or forest-adjacent areas with fire without permission can result in a fine of up to 300,000 KRW, and if caught lighting a fire, a fine of up to 500,000 KRW can be imposed.

In particular, even accidental wildfires can lead to imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million KRW.

Ko Rak-sam, head of the Wildfire Prevention Division at the Korea Forest Service, said, "Wildfires have been occurring daily nationwide due to continued dry weather and strong winds," adding, "Especially this month, the wildfire risk index is higher than usual, increasing the possibility of wildfires, so we ask for the public's participation in wildfire prevention."

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