Fines Up to 1 Million Won for Improper Burning of Fields and Farmland

If caught burning rice paddies or fields near forested areas, you may be fined up to 1 million won.
Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Burning of rice paddies and fields near forest areas is prohibited. Violators will be fined up to 1 million KRW.

The Korea Forest Service announced on the 15th that it has partially amended the Enforcement Decree of the Forest Protection Act to include this provision.

The key point of the amended decree is the prohibition of the previously allowed exception of "using fire to remove flammable materials" within 100 meters of forest land.

Before the amendment, it was possible to light fires for the purpose of removing agricultural byproducts in areas adjacent to forests with prior permission from the mayor or county governor.

Most of these activities involved burning rice paddy and field ridges to control pests.

However, the Korea Forest Service determined that burning does not effectively control pests and that the burning process can cause forest fires, leading to human casualties and forest damage.

Graph of wildfire occurrences by cause from 2012 to 2021. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

According to the recent 10-year statistics on forest fire causes, arson by visitors accounted for the highest proportion at 34%, followed by burning of rice paddies and field ridges at 14%, garbage burning at 13%, and cigarette-related fires at 5%.

In particular, forest fires caused by the traditional burning of agricultural byproducts and rice paddies and field ridges in rural areas averaged 131 cases per year, accounting for 27% of all forest fires.

Accordingly, the Korea Forest Service plans to completely ban burning activities such as burning rice paddies and field ridges near forests starting from the 15th, and impose fines up to 1 million KRW on those caught burning.

Nam Sung-hyun, head of the Korea Forest Service, said, "The risk of forest fires greatly increases in autumn due to dry weather and the rise in hikers," adding, "Even minor carelessness can lead to irreversible consequences, so I urge all citizens to actively participate in forest fire prevention."

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