Gyeongbuk Province Accelerates Construction of Ulleungdo Fire Station... New Building Needed Due to Increasing Firefighting Demand

Site Clearance to Be Completed by the End of This Year, Fire Station Construction Targeted by 2025

Site preparation work for the new Ulleung Fire Station in Dodong-ri, Ulleung-gun.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] Gyeongbuk Province is actively pursuing fire service policies such as constructing a new fire station to meet the increasing safety demands of tourists visiting Ulleungdo and to improve fire services for residents.

On April 18, as the number of COVID-19 cases showed a clear decline and restrictions on private gatherings and operating hours of restaurants and cafes were lifted, most social distancing measures were removed.

Coinciding with this, the number of tourists visiting Ulleungdo surpassed the trend of 2013, when the island recorded its highest number of visitors, and exceeded 100,000 on the 11th of last month.

This reflects the increased domestic tourism due to restrictions on overseas travel and cost burdens, as well as heightened national interest in Ulleungdo and Dokdo through promotional activities such as broadcasts.

Also, with the scheduled opening of Ulleung Airport in 2025, it is expected that even more tourists will visit Ulleungdo; however, to become a world-class tourist destination, a high level of safety must be guaranteed.

According to data from the Fire Headquarters, over the past 10 years (2012?2021), there have been about 850 rescue dispatches and over 6,240 emergency medical dispatches on Ulleungdo. These numbers have shown an increasing trend each year.

Gyeongbuk Province is accelerating the construction of a fire station to meet the fire service demands and improve fire services on Ulleungdo.

Accordingly, since October 2020, groundwork for building a fire station has been underway on an 8,908㎡ site in Dodong-ri, Ulleung-gun.

Once the site leveling work is completed by the end of this year, a fire station with a total area of 3,930㎡ will be constructed over a three-year plan until 2025 to strengthen fire capabilities in the island region.

Additionally, to improve working conditions for staff working under the unique conditions of the island, securing housing and other improvements will be pursued simultaneously.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “With the expansion of infrastructure such as Ulleung Airport, it is expected that more tourists will visit Ulleungdo. We will meticulously establish safety measures for arrivals, including rescue and emergency medical services, and do our best to ensure that both residents and tourists can live comfortably and safely.”

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