[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province will conduct a special crackdown to eradicate illegal activities in forests around the autumn foliage season.
According to the province on the 7th, the special crackdown will be carried out jointly by 15 cities and counties until the end of this month. The main targets of the crackdown are illegal harvesting activities of forest products such as pine mushrooms, medicinal mushrooms, pine nuts, and wild herbs.
The province will also carry out educational activities through posting banners, installing warning signboards, and producing and distributing promotional materials alongside the crackdown.
Through this, the province plans to establish social order by improving awareness and eradicating illegal activities in forests.
Under current law, anyone who illegally excavates or harvests forest products without the consent or permission of the forest owner shall be punished by imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won.
A provincial official said, “Considering the seasonal characteristics where the autumn foliage outing season coincides with the forest product harvesting period, we will focus on cracking down on illegal harvesting activities by professional gatherers and hikers to do our best to protect the forest.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
