The Democratic Party's Wildfire Disaster Special Committee Holds First Meeting: "A National Crisis, Ruling and Opposition Must Unite"

Kwon Young-se: "Pushing for Fundamental Measures and System Overhaul"
Kwon Seong-dong: "Daily Recovery and Disaster Prevention Are Political Responsibilities"
Criticism of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance for 'Helicopter Operation Costs Shouldered by Local Governments'
To the Opposition: "It Is Our Duty to Stop Political Conflict in the Face of Disaster"

The People Power Party decided on the 27th to concentrate all efforts on preparing comprehensive measures including response and recovery from the large-scale wildfires that occurred across the Yeongnam region, as well as preventing recurrence.

At the first meeting of the Special Committee on Wildfire Disaster held at the National Assembly that morning, Kwon Young-se, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, stated, "This wildfire is not just a local disaster but a national emergency," adding, "Protecting the lives and safety of the people is the top priority, and we will closely cooperate with the government and local governments to ensure prompt support."

Chairman Kwon further emphasized, "All available resources including equipment, personnel, and supplies must be fully mobilized," and said, "We will not only focus on damage recovery and support for evacuees but also push for fundamental measures to prevent recurrence and overhaul the national response system."

Kwon Young-se, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Emergency Meeting of the Special Committee on Wildfire Disaster Response held at the National Assembly on the 27th. 2025.3.27 Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, said, "So far, the confirmed death toll has reached 26, and the number of evacuees has exceeded 20,000. Yesterday, there was a tragic accident where a helicopter crashed during wildfire suppression, resulting in the pilot’s death," and he stressed, "While wildfire suppression is the responsibility of the fire authorities, daily recovery and disaster prevention are the responsibilities of politics."

The People Power Party decided to first deliver relief supplies worth a total of 160 million won to eight affected areas: Uiseong, Andong, Yeongdeok, Cheongsong, Yeongyang in North Gyeongsang Province; Sancheong and Hadong in South Gyeongsang Province; and Ulju in Ulsan. Additionally, they plan to start fundraising for disaster recovery as soon as the wildfire is extinguished to assist with on-site restoration and stabilize the daily lives of evacuees.

Members of the People Power Party based in Yeongnam have also temporarily suspended activities such as press conferences related to the dismissal or rejection of President Yoon Seok-yeol’s impeachment since the day before and have returned to their constituencies to support relief efforts.

Regarding measures to prevent recurrence, they pointed out that the central government must take a proactive stance to expand and operate large firefighting helicopters for local governments. Floor leader Kwon mentioned, "Among the 50 helicopters owned by the Korea Forest Service, only seven are large helicopters with a water capacity of over 8 tons, and two of those are currently under maintenance."

He continued, "The bigger problem is that local governments have to bear the cost of leasing helicopters. While local governments are requesting national funding support, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance keeps repeating the stance that 'since local governments requested it, they should bear the cost,'" urging improvement by saying, "The Ministry of Strategy and Finance is imposing an unbearable burden on local governments whose finances have deteriorated due to managing forests as public goods."

He also called on the Democratic Party, saying, "In this situation where the nation’s land is burning, a series of impeachment attempts that ignite political strife cannot be tolerated," and requested bipartisan cooperation, adding, "Please remember that stopping political conflict in the face of disaster is the minimum duty to the people."

Potential presidential candidates from the ruling party have repeatedly voiced the need for the ruling and opposition parties to unite. Ahn Cheol-soo, a People Power Party lawmaker, posted on Facebook that day, "The Yeongnam wildfires have gone beyond a disaster to become a 'national crisis' as South Korea is burning," and appealed to the opposition parties including the Democratic Party to cooperate in discussing supplementary budgets, saying, "Where lawmakers should be now is the National Assembly, not the square or tent headquarters."

Earlier, Han Dong-hoon, former party leader, posted on Facebook on the afternoon of the 26th, saying, "Nothing is more important than the lives and safety of the people," and urged, "On this issue, regardless of party lines, we must come together with one heart and one mind to overcome the crisis."