Gyeongsangdo Wildfire Was Just a Few Days Ago... Foreigners Smoking and Discarding Cigarette Butts in Bukhansan

Four Foreigners Smoke at the Summit of Bukhansan
Continue Smoking and Flick Ashes Despite Hikers' Warnings

A video showing foreigners smoking cigarettes and mocking others despite warnings around them at Bukhansan Mountain has sparked public outrage. On the 1st, JTBC's 'Sageon Banjang' aired a video recently filmed at the summit of Bukhansan in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province. The video shows four foreigners, presumed to be Russian, gathered at the mountain peak smoking cigarettes. They were even filming each other as they flicked ashes down the mountain while smoking.

A, who reported the video, said, "The day before, I went up Bukhansan with my girlfriend and witnessed a group of foreigners ahead playing loud music and hiking noisily." He added, "They gathered at Baegundae Peak of Bukhansan and even started smoking." A said, "Hikers nearby warned them not to smoke because of the risk of forest fires, but the foreigners laughed and said 'Okay, okay' while continuing to smoke and even threw cigarette butts on the mountain."

A estimated that they were Russians based on the language they used and said, "On the way down, I inquired with the Bukhansan National Park authorities, but the person in charge said that foreigners cannot be punished for smoking in the mountains, which was absurd." In response, lawyer Park Ji-hoon explained, "That is not true. Even foreigners can be liable for violating the Forest Protection Act." He added, "Whether foreign or Korean, all crimes committed in our country can be punished." Netizens who saw the video reacted with comments such as, "What if a fire breaks out because of them?", "They must think Korea is a joke since smoking in the mountains is prohibited everywhere," "The country is already in chaos due to recent large forest fires; they should be caught and punished," and "They must be caught and deported."

Meanwhile, April is a month when strong winds increase the risk of large forest fires from even small sparks. Accordingly, the Korea Forest Service has decided to intensively crack down on illegal acts such as smoking or carrying fire or flammable materials in forests until May 31. Under the Forest Protection Act, those who set fires in the mountains can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. Even accidental forest fires can result in imprisonment of up to 3 years or fines up to 30 million won.