Wildfire Emergency!… Gyeongbuk Province Dispatches 235 Section Chiefs for Special Crackdown

On the 3rd, Gyeongbuk Province announced that it will organize and operate regional responsibility officers and mobile inspection teams in frontline cities and counties until May 15 to block burning activities such as agricultural byproducts and garbage and to check the wildfire prevention situation in preparation for the full-scale farming season.

The wildfire prevention regional responsibility officers will designate 235 officials from the main office to 235 towns and townships in the province, and when the risk of wildfire is high, they will visit the responsible towns and townships to promote prevention of burning activities and receive written acknowledgments from violators to hand them over to the respective cities and counties.

In addition, the Environment and Forestry Resources Bureau’s mobile inspection teams will be organized with 19 teams and 38 members for 22 cities and counties, and they will check the overall wildfire prevention response posture, including illegal burning near forests, entry into restricted mountain areas, and preventive activities by monitors at least once a week in the responsible cities and counties.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration forecast, a dry caution warning has been issued in the Gyeongbuk area for several days, and on the 28th of last month, five large and small wildfires occurred in one day, causing an estimated 97 hectares of forest damage. With no rain forecast for the time being, tension has further heightened.

Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office.

In this mobile inspection, strict punishment will be imposed on those who violate wildfire regulations to eradicate repeated illegal burning activities.

According to the Forest Protection Act, a fine of up to 300,000 won is imposed if a fire is lit without permission in forests or adjacent areas or if one enters a restricted mountain area without permission. Even if a wildfire is caused by negligence, imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won may be imposed.

According to Gyeongbuk Province, among the 110 wildfires that occurred in the province last year, 49 perpetrators were caught, and among them, the arrest rate for cases caused by illegal burning was 94%, with most receiving heavy fines.

In March of last year, the arsonist responsible for a large wildfire in Gangneung and Donghae areas of Gangwon Province was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Choi Young-sook, Director of the Environment and Forestry Resources Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “Due to the dry weather in spring, a small spark can quickly spread into a large wildfire, so please refrain from handling fire in forests or adjacent areas,” and urged cooperation to eradicate burning activities.