Jeju Autonomous Police Force to Take Strong Action Against Forest Destruction Offenders

26 Cases of Illegal Logging and Soil Embankment Detected

Illegally cutting down a hackberry tree in a forest area in Jeju Island was detected. Provided by Jeju Autonomous Police Unit.

The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Autonomous Police Corps (Chief Oh Chungik) has announced a strong response policy against offenders involved in forest destruction, which has recently been on the rise again.

The Autonomous Police Corps has forwarded a total of 223 cases related to forest destruction to the prosecution over the past three years.

Forest destruction cases increased from 70 in 2022 to 82 in 2023, then decreased to 71 in 2024. The Autonomous Police Corps believes this trend is related to the economic downturn, such as the decline in real estate transactions.

As of March this year, there are 26 cases of forest destruction that have been forwarded to the prosecution or are under investigation, showing a renewed upward trend. The Autonomous Police Corps plans to strengthen cooperation with relevant departments such as the Parks and Greenery Division of the administrative city to prevent forest destruction.

In addition, for serious cases, the Corps will share prior information with the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office (Criminal Division 3) and receive guidance on handling suspects to ensure that perpetrators receive strict punishment corresponding to their responsibilities.

Meanwhile, forest destruction is occurring in various forms within the province.

In addition to unauthorized logging of standing trees prohibited by the Act on the Creation and Management of Forest Resources, there have recently been cases of theft of forest resources such as natural stones and hackberry trees, which are traded at high prices.

Major violations also include unauthorized changes to the form of forest land through embankment (soil piling) or cutting (land excavation) without permission under the Mountainous Districts Management Act, as well as using forest land for purposes other than its designation, such as farmland, parking lots, or access roads.

The Autonomous Police Corps is currently investigating cases such as unauthorized logging and burial of pine trees within forest land and illegal embankment of a significant amount of soil, and is also looking into additional violations.

Park Sanghyeon, Chief of the Investigation Division, said, "While the profits from illegal forest destruction are monopolized by a few developers, all residents of the province must bear the damage, and recovery takes a considerable amount of time," adding, "We will respond strictly to offenders involved in forest destruction."

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