Gangwon Province Implements Special Wildfire Prevention Measures for Lunar New Year Holiday...All-Out Effort on Prevention and Initial Response

Governor Kim Jin-tae: "We Will Do Our Best to Minimize Wildfire Damage Through Thorough Situation Management"

The Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Wildfire Prevention Countermeasures Headquarters (Governor Kim Jin-tae) announced that, as the risk of wildfires is expected to increase during the Lunar New Year holiday due to a rise in visitors to ancestral graves and hikers, as well as dry weather conditions, it has designated the period from February 14 to 18 as the "Lunar New Year Holiday Special Wildfire Prevention Period" and will make every effort to prevent wildfires and ensure a swift initial response.

Exterior view of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Government Office. Provided by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province.

According to the province, as of February 11, 2026, there have been 2 wildfires in the province, with a damaged area of 1.17 hectares, representing a decrease compared to the same period last year (5 cases, 1.86 hectares). However, there is a possibility that dry weather advisories will continue, particularly in the Yeongdong region, creating a high risk of wildfire occurrence and spread, and requiring heightened vigilance during the holiday period.

The province plans to operate the Wildfire Prevention Center and the wildfire situation rooms of city and county forestry departments 24 hours a day, and to organize emergency duty teams and maintain an emergency contact system to ensure a swift response in the event of a wildfire.

It will deploy monitoring personnel intensively in wildfire-prone areas such as cemetery parks and mountain trails, and strengthen wildfire prevention publicity by using village and vehicle broadcasting.

The province will also conduct inspections of households using wood-fired boilers in areas adjacent to forests and crack down on illegal burning activities in areas bordering forests.

In the event of a wildfire, it will respond immediately in accordance with the "On-Site Response Action Manual for Wildfire Disasters," deploy firefighting helicopters at an early stage, and minimize casualties by issuing evacuation broadcasts for residents in nearby areas and sending disaster text alerts via Cell Broadcasting Service (CBS).

In addition, the province will strengthen its cooperation system with related agencies such as the Northern and Eastern Regional Forest Services and the fire department, and will efficiently operate 27 available firefighting helicopters within a 50-kilometer radius of ignition points in the province.

Governor Kim Jin-tae stated, "During the Lunar New Year holiday, even minor carelessness can lead to large-scale wildfires, so please strictly follow wildfire prevention rules," adding, "We will do our utmost to minimize wildfire damage through thorough situation management and a swift initial response."

The province plans to concentrate its wildfire prevention activities during the holiday period and strengthen its on-site response posture, making every effort to protect forests and ensure the safety of provincial residents.

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