[Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Haenam County, Jeollanam-do, will conduct a special crackdown on illegal activities in forests, such as forest damage during the spring season, until the 30th of next month.
According to the county on the 17th, the crackdown will focus on major hiking trails, areas around forest roads, and vulnerable spots in forest protection patrols, targeting unauthorized digging and harvesting of wild vegetables and medicinal herbs without the consent of forest owners, illegal excavation of landscaping trees, illegal dumping of garbage, and forest damage outside permitted zones.
If violations are detected during the crackdown, strict penalties will be imposed according to related laws such as the Mountainous Area Management Act, Forest Protection Act, and the Act on the Creation and Management of Forest Resources.
Illegal conversion of forest land or theft of forest products will be punishable by imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won, and illegal logging activities will be subject to imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won.
Furthermore, any forest degraded due to illegal activities must be restored unconditionally.
In particular, the county plans to form a crackdown team consisting of forest judicial police officers and officials from the Forest and Greenery Division, shifting from a victim-report-based complaint system to actively monitoring illegal activities using satellite images and drones.
A county official stated, “There are concerns about indiscriminate harvesting of forest products and forest damage due to spring hiking,” adding, “We will make every effort to ensure that forests, which are public assets, are preserved through thorough crackdowns.”
Meanwhile, Haenam County detected 21 cases of illegal activities in 2018, 12 cases in 2019, and 18 cases in 2020, including illegal farmland and road construction.
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