Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheolwoo: "Wildfire Damage Equals 63,000 Soccer Fields... Special Restoration Law Needed"

Urgent Requests Made at Party-Government Countermeasure Meeting
Call to Shorten Administrative Procedures to Within One Month

On the 3rd, North Gyeongsang Province shared the status of large-scale wildfire damage and discussed measures to protect and support affected residents at the People Power Party-Government Emergency Wildfire Damage Countermeasure Meeting held at the main building of the National Assembly.

The meeting was attended by Kwon Youngse, interim leader of the People Power Party, Kwon Seongdong, floor leader, Kim Sanghoon, chairman of the Policy Committee, and Lee Manhee, chairman of the Wildfire Disaster Special Committee, along with many National Assembly members from the North Gyeongsang region. Key government officials such as Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, as well as heads of local governments affected by the wildfire, including Lee Cheolwoo, Governor of North Gyeongsang Province, Kim Dukyum, Mayor of Ulsan, and Park Wansu, Governor of South Gyeongsang Province, were also present.

Lee Cheolwoo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province (second from right), is speaking at the party-government consultative meeting.

Kwon Youngse, interim leader of the People Power Party, stated, "The massive wildfire that has swept across our nation over the past ten days has left the largest damage in history from a single disaster. The 10 trillion won supplementary budget announced by the government is truly an essential measure. This supplementary budget must be sufficiently allocated to urgent areas such as housing and living expenses for disaster victims, and support for the restoration of agricultural machinery."

Kwon Seongdong, floor leader of the People Power Party, remarked, "The most important task right now is to restore daily life. We must make every effort to ensure that residents in the affected areas can return to normal as soon as possible."

Lee Cheolwoo, Governor of North Gyeongsang Province, emphasized, "This wildfire should serve as an opportunity to fundamentally transform our wildfire response system by introducing large-scale firefighting helicopters, utilizing transport aircraft for firefighting, and advancing the scale and automation of firefighting equipment. In addition, active government support through special legislation and supplementary budgets must accompany these efforts."

North Gyeongsang Province requested that the government fast-track (within one month) the administrative procedures that usually take a long time after local government damage assessments are completed, such as confirmation by the central joint investigation team, consultations among relevant ministries, and the finalization of recovery plans, to ensure swift relief.

The province also highlighted the need for national funding to support modular emergency housing units that can be used as mobile hotels during normal times and as temporary housing in the event of a disaster, in order to revolutionize the disaster-related temporary housing support system.

Furthermore, North Gyeongsang Province pointed out that the unprecedented scale of damage, equivalent to about 63,000 soccer fields, cannot be recovered through existing laws such as the Disaster and Safety Act or the financial capacity of local governments alone. The province requested the enactment of a "Special Act for the Recovery and Regional Rebuilding after Large-Scale Wildfire Damage" (tentative name) to ensure rapid relief, recovery, and economic revitalization in the affected areas.

In addition, North Gyeongsang Province actively explained the necessity of securing government supplementary budgets and major national investment projects essential for rapid wildfire recovery, and called for full support from the National Assembly and the government.

Lee Cheolwoo, Governor of North Gyeongsang Province, reiterated, "The damage from this wildfire is twice the size of the '25 LA Wildfire,' the worst wildfire in US history. Residents in the affected areas have lost not only the homes they have lived in all their lives but also their livelihoods, including farmland, forests, and fishing boats, all at once. Although all five cities and counties have been declared special disaster zones with the special attention of the government and the National Assembly, this alone is not enough for rapid recovery, and there are still many blind spots that cannot be supported under current laws. I earnestly request special attention and support from the National Assembly and the government for the enactment of a special law and the allocation of a wildfire supplementary budget to ensure swift recovery."