Gwacheon-si 'Pine Wilt Disease' Outbreak... Gyeonggi-do Launches Emergency Control Measures

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Gyeonggi Province has launched an emergency control effort after the pine wood nematode disease was confirmed in the area of Cheonggyesan in Makgye-dong, Gwacheon-si.

Gwacheon-si announced on the 25th that the disease was discovered during a joint surveillance investigation to examine the area within a 10km radius of the infected site after infected trees were found on the 9th in Naegok-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

On the 24th, the government held an emergency central control meeting with the Korea Forest Service, National Institute of Forest Science, Gyeonggi Province, Gwacheon-si, Seoul City, and Korea Forestry Promotion Institute to share the new occurrence in Gwacheon-si and designated a 2km radius around the infected trees as a restricted zone for the movement of pine species.

Gyeonggi Province and Gwacheon-si plan to conduct an epidemiological investigation with the National Institute of Forest Science to identify the infection timing, cause, and transmission route of the pine wood nematode disease.

Gwacheon-si will operate a local forest pest surveillance and control task force, cooperating with related organizations to conduct a detailed investigation of the affected area and strive to restore it to a clean zone as soon as possible through prompt control measures.

Min Soon-gi, Director of the Forest and Greenery Division of the province, said, "Based on the epidemiological investigation results, we will respond swiftly through inter-agency cooperation to prevent further spread," and urged, "Early response is crucial to prevent the spread of pine wood nematode disease, so if you find dead pine trees nearby, please report them to the forestry department of the local government."

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