Wildfire Situation Control System Fails to Provide Useful Information

Disaster Text Messages Not Delivered in Time During North Gyeongsang Wildfire
Limitations Revealed in Operation of Wildfire Spread Prediction System
Seo Samseok: "Function-Specific Manuals Needed to Improve Efficiency"

Seosamsuk, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker.

Criticism has emerged that the wildfire situation control system did not function properly during the wildfire in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province (hereafter referred to as the "North Gyeongsang wildfire") that occurred on March 22.

The government has been building and operating the wildfire situation control system (hereafter referred to as the "control system") since 2014, investing 25.9 billion KRW from 2014 to 2022 to respond to forest disasters such as wildfires, landslides, and forest pests. The system provides wildfire status and spread information, notifications to request the sending of emergency disaster text messages, and other features. The Korea Forest Service has access to all the functions of this system.

According to audit materials submitted by Assemblyman Seo Samseok of the Democratic Party of Korea (Yeongam, Muan, and Shinan in South Jeolla Province) to the Korea Forest Service on October 2, the notification system that recommends local government officials to send disaster text messages according to the risk level was not delivered to three of the five affected local governments (Cheongsong, Yeongyang, and Yeongdeok), except for Uiseong and Andong, during the North Gyeongsang wildfire.

It was also confirmed that the group chat system for real-time sharing of wildfire information was not utilized. The chat system, which was established to transmit wildfire-related conversations in connection with the Smart Disaster App, was not used during the North Gyeongsang wildfire, and the Korea Forest Service responded that "no chat records exist."

The wildfire spread prediction system (hereafter referred to as the "prediction system"), which predicts the path of wildfire spread, also revealed its limitations. An analysis of the 120 wildfires that occurred in March using the prediction system showed that, although the system can predict wildfire spread information up to eight hours in advance, only two hours of results were provided during the recent North Gyeongsang wildfire.

In the case of the North Gyeongsang wildfire, the predicted spread area was not continuous from the ignition point and included spot fires more than three kilometers away, but the Korea Forest Service did not rerun the prediction system. The Korea Forest Service stated that it operates the wildfire spread prediction system only for the "initial ignition point," but there was no explicit regulation mandating this practice.

Assemblyman Seo stated, "The control system, which was built with more than 20 billion KRW, has been operated in a haphazard manner, exacerbating the enormous loss of life and property. The government says it will incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into the wildfire spread response in the 2026 budget, but simply increasing the budget without addressing the root causes is likely to be a futile effort."

Assemblyman Seo further emphasized, "The Korea Forest Service must promptly establish an effective manual for the operation of the control system by function to enhance efficiency. In addition, personnel should be assigned so that the prediction system can monitor not only the initial ignition point but also all potential spread areas at all times."

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