Gongnojo Union: Wildfire Penalties Are Too Harsh vs. Gyeongnam Province: Personnel Actions for Neglecting Prevention Duties

The Gyeongnam Provincial Government's recently announced special measures for wildfire prevention and response have met with opposition from the Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters of the Korean Government Employees' Union.

On the 15th, the Gyeongnam Headquarters of the Government Employees' Union held a press conference, stating, "We highly appreciated the concrete and feasible measures addressing the main causes of wildfires, such as the burning of agricultural residues and arson by mountain visitors." However, they added, "We were shocked to hear about the plan to impose penalties on cities and counties based on the frequency of wildfires and large-scale wildfires."

They criticized, "What kind of causal relationship is there between wildfire prevention and penalties such as reductions in special adjustment grants and subsidies, lower rankings in public project evaluations, and personnel actions against responsible officials?"

The National Public Officials Labor Union Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters is holding a press conference opposing the special measures for wildfire prevention and response announced by Gyeongnam Province.
[Photo by Lee Se-ryeong]

"In 2009, there was a case in Jeonnam where penalties on forest budgets and public projects were applied to cities and counties with frequent wildfires, but did that reduce wildfires?" they asked. "Holding personnel and budget authority to threaten cities and counties does not prevent wildfires; it only lowers the morale of frontline public officials," they argued.

The headquarters stated, "Even now, wildfire-related work is a department that public officials avoid in the field, and imposing personnel disadvantages will only increase avoidance." They urged, "Instead of shifting responsibility to frontline public officials, please encourage and comfort the hardworking city and county officials."

They demanded from the Gyeongnam Provincial Government ▲ expansion of wildfire prevention and firefighting personnel ▲ prohibition of deploying public officials without safety equipment after sunset ▲ awakening of the governor and vice governor, and urged mayors and county heads to reject Gyeongnam Province's wildfire measures that shift responsibility.

In response, the Gyeongnam Provincial Government stated, "From prevention to response, the person in charge must mobilize the entire organization to manage wildfires systematically."

Through explanatory materials, the province explained, "Wildfire response involves firefighting, resident evacuation, relief for disaster victims, and management of vulnerable and hazardous facilities; it is not a task that a single public official or department can handle." They emphasized, "Responsible officials such as deputy heads must respond with a systematic system that mobilizes all available resources with a sense of mission."

"If the person in charge neglects wildfire prevention measures or fails to take appropriate action in the early stages of a wildfire, it causes enormous damage to the lives and property of residents," they said. "One of the purposes of this wildfire measure is to urge responsible officials to have a sense of mission and actively respond to wildfire prevention in their duties."

They added, "The direction of the provincial administration regarding wildfires is for responsible officials such as deputy heads to take charge and manage everything from prevention to response." They explained, "If a large wildfire occurs due to negligence in duties, after investigation, if it is judged inappropriate, this will be reflected in personnel decisions."

The Gyeongnam Provincial Government concluded, "The provincial and city/county public officials will continue to do their best to protect the lives and property of residents."

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