President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook visited Cheonnam-ri, Okgye-myeon, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, which was damaged by a large forest fire a year ago, on the 5th to celebrate Arbor Day. They are planting Korean red pines in the reforested area. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] On the 5th, marking the 75th Arbor Day, President Moon Jae-in visited Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, which suffered damage from a large wildfire last year, and planted Korean red pine trees with local residents.
President Moon and his wife Kim Jung-sook visited Cheonnam-ri, Okgye-myeon, Gangneung-si in the morning to console local residents who suffered from the wildfire and to express gratitude and encouragement to wildfire firefighters, firefighters who devoted themselves to extinguishing the fire, as well as local officials and residents who took the lead in rescuing neighbors despite dangerous situations. Okgye-myeon, Gangneung-si, was the area that suffered the largest damage in Gangwon-do last year, with 1,033 hectares affected by the wildfire.
The shovels used by President Moon and Mrs. Kim for planting were made from trees damaged by last year’s wildfire.
Those who contributed to minimizing wildfire damage participated in the planting event, including Jang Chung-yeol, head of the Gangneung Fire Station rescue team, who rescued an elderly dementia patient in their 80s trapped at home despite the risk of a gas cylinder explosion and rescued seven residents who had not evacuated; Choi Doo-soon, section chief at Gangneung City Hall, who saved about 1,000 animals from the Okgye-myeon zoo from the wildfire; Lee Jeong-in, administrative officer who protected Okgye Middle School, which was at risk of being completely burned, with just a rubber hose; and Kim Hak-seong, manager at Halla Cement, who evacuated residents and supplied water for wildfire suppression.
Also attending were Sim Dong-ju and Jeon In-a, a couple from Okgye-myeon who used their own car to evacuate four elderly people living alone to the village hall; Kim Chang-jin, head of Cheonnam-ri, who made evacuation broadcasts for residents’ safety; Park Min-ju, a 5th grader at Geumjin Elementary School, who calmly evacuated despite the danger; Kim Jeong-o, head of the Okgye-myeon volunteer fire brigade, who participated in wildfire suppression and traffic control at the wildfire site; Hong Seong-min, an aerial firefighting team member at Gangneung Forest Aviation Management Office, who guided firefighting helicopters and established firebreaks in strong winds contributing to early wildfire suppression; and Hong Seong-in, a special firefighting team member at Gangneung National Forest Management Office, who contributed to minimizing wildfire damage through emergency evacuation of residents near forest areas, day and night wildfire suppression, and monitoring for flare-ups.
On April 4 last year, wildfires occurred in Gangneung, Donghae, Sokcho, Goseong, and Inje in Gangwon-do, causing a total forest damage of 2,832 hectares (9.7 times the size of Namsan, which is 290 hectares). However, with the full-scale response of related organizations such as the National Crisis Management Center, Korea Forest Service, and Gangwon-do, as well as active cooperation from local residents, the wildfire was extinguished within one day.
The government plans to complete restoration by 2022 on 2,576 hectares excluding natural restoration areas among the wildfire-damaged sites. In particular, 1,004 hectares of the damaged area in Gangneung will be restored by 2022, with 50% restored within this year. Additionally, areas with high wildfire risk will be developed into fire-resistant forests.
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