Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly Member Park Yongseon: "Let's Turn Wildfire Disaster from Pain into an Opportunity for a New Leap"

Gyeongbuk Provincial Council member Park Yongseon (People Power Party, Pohang 5) proposed a 'Gyeongbuk-style Reconstruction New Deal Policy' that goes beyond simple restoration in response to the recent large-scale wildfires in the northern region of Gyeongbuk, during the first meeting of the Special Budget and Accounts Committee for the 2025 Gyeongbuk Province First Supplementary Budget on the 31st of last month.

Park Yongseon expressed deep sympathy and condolences to the affected residents, stating, "We now stand at a turning point where we can rise again from this suffering." He then presented a "multifaceted reconstruction strategy preparing for Gyeongbuk's future, including the creation of new towns to improve settlement conditions, a major transformation in agriculture, the establishment of digital disaster prevention systems, and the restoration of livelihoods for disaster victims."

Yongseon Park, Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly Member

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Park proposed relocating settlements and creating integrated new towns near administrative centers for areas where entire villages were destroyed, explaining, "By intensively improving basic infrastructure and building convenient living facilities together, we can simultaneously achieve residents' safety, quality of life, administrative efficiency, and budget savings."

He particularly emphasized, "This is not just simple restoration, but a structural alternative to revive township-level areas facing extinction," adding, "This should be a strategic opportunity for Gyeongbuk to proactively respond to the era of local extinction."

Park further suggested that for village sites where residential reconstruction is difficult, "We should transform them into innovative agricultural clusters by attracting smart agriculture and corporate farms," and argued, "We need to build a 'future-oriented agricultural ecosystem' where young people are attracted, and technology and data are integrated, rather than a rural area from which youth are leaving. Through this, we can enhance agricultural competitiveness and fundamentally improve the aging structure of the region."

Additionally, Park stressed, "The uniforms of volunteer firefighters, who played a significant role in extinguishing this wildfire, should be completely replaced with 'flame-retardant natural fibers' to protect them from disasters and properly honor their service."

Park Yongseon stated, "It is not just houses and trees that have burned, but also people's hearts and daily lives," and appealed, "Emergency funds for livelihood and housing support, interest-free support for farmers and small business owners, psychological recovery programs, and community recovery projects?these people-centered livelihood restoration measures must be implemented together."

Park continued, "Rather than waiting for government support, Gyeongbuk Province should take the initiative and set an example," and officially proposed a 'Reconstruction Solidarity' in which Gyeongbuk Province, the Provincial Council, the central government, and all citizens participate. He emphasized, "This disaster should not be remembered as Gyeongbuk's pain, but as a turning point for Gyeongbuk to leap forward and become a hopeful model for regional regeneration in Korea."

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