[Report] Wildfire Fighter's Sigh "An 80-Year-Old Tree Has Died... If Only There Had Been a Helicopter"

Juwangsan National Park Ravaged by Wildfire
Greenery Disappears, Ash Covers the Landscape
Carcass of Roe Deer Found Amid the Flames
Only One Firefighting Helicopter for All National Parks
"Insufficient to Control Large-Scale Wildfires"

Traces left by the wildfire. A panoramic view of Juwangsan National Park in Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk, on the 7th. Trees burned by the flames have turned ashen, revealing bare branches. Photo by the Ministry of Environment Joint Press Corps.

"It must be at least 70 to 80 years old, but at this point, we have to consider that all the standing trees are dead."

On the 7th at 12:05 PM, a Korea National Park Service official met at the foot of Juwangsan National Park in Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk, and said this with a bitter smile. Juwangsan is usually full of greenery around this time of year, but on this day, the forest was scorched black in many places. The area once covered with dense foliage was now exposed with dry soil scorched by the wildfire, and the trees engulfed in flames were left with only their charred trunks. Even the trees barely standing had black soot powder on them at the slightest touch. Experts on site believe that most of the trees maintaining their shape have lost their lives.

Greenery Disappears, National Park Turns Ashen

Traces left by the wildfire. A panoramic view of Juwangsan National Park in Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk, on the 7th. Trees burned by the flames have turned ashen, revealing bare branches. Photo by the Ministry of Environment Joint Press Corps

Traces left by the wildfire. A panoramic view of Juwangsan National Park in Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk, on the 7th. Trees burned by the flames have turned ashen, revealing bare branches. Photo by the Ministry of Environment Joint Press Corps.

Juwangsan is a mountain located in the Taebaek mountain range, which corresponds to the central region of Korea, spanning Cheongsong-gun and Yeongdeok-gun in Gyeongbuk Province. It is home to endangered wild plants and endemic species of the Korean Peninsula, and was designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2017, highlighting its conservation value. However, a wildfire that started last month in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk, spread to Juwangsan, burning 3,260 hectares?equivalent to 11 times the size of Yeouido. This accounts for 20% of the entire Juwangsan National Park area (16,000 hectares).

From the sky, the extent of the damage was starkly visible. In particular, the damage to the coniferous forest, which accounts for 34% of Juwangsan, was severe. Conifers are vulnerable to wildfires because sparks easily ignite them, making them more susceptible than broadleaf trees. Areas planted with broadleaf trees were scorched but still retained their leaves and tree shapes, whereas the coniferous forest had all its leaves burned away, leaving only bare branches. The clear division between green and gray along the fire marks made Juwangsan look like an entirely different mountain.

Traces left by the wildfire. On the 7th, a roe deer presumed to have died in the fire was found lying at the foot of Juwangsan National Park in Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk. Photo by Song Seungseop

The wildfire damage was not limited to trees. In nearby villages, fire debris that hinted at the wildfire damage was still scattered around. Around 'Dalgiyak Spring,' a famous spot in Juwangsan, a slate house and warehouse melted by the flames were abandoned. On the road leading to the entrance of Juwangsan, the carcass of a roe deer, presumed to have died from suffocation due to failure to evacuate in time, was found. A 5.174 km-long trail was engulfed by flames, resulting in the destruction of one visitor support center and the loss of 14 guide signs.

The Korea National Park Service explained that the damage worsened due to a shortage of firefighting helicopters. The national park owns only one firefighting helicopter nationwide. This model was introduced when the Russian government repaid a loan to Korea in the form of a helicopter, which the former Soviet Union had lent to Korea in 1992. The Service intended to use the helicopter to extinguish the Juwangsan wildfire, but when a wildfire in Jirisan spread to residential areas, the helicopter was first deployed to Hadong-gun. With the only firefighting helicopter sent to Jirisan, it was difficult to control the flames at Juwangsan.

Only One National Park Firefighting Helicopter... Insufficient to Control the Blaze

Traces left by the wildfire. On the 7th, buildings and vehicles near Juwangsan National Park in Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk, melted by fire. Photo by the Ministry of Environment Joint Press Corps.

An Ho-kyung, head of the Juwangsan National Park Office who was involved in extinguishing the wildfire, said, "When the fire spread, the wind speed was 25 m/s, making it difficult to open even a hinged door," and lamented, "The staff alone could not put out the main fire." He added, "If there had been about four helicopters, one per region, the fire could have been controlled more stably," and criticized, "The current situation where one firefighting helicopter goes back and forth to extinguish the fire is not appropriate."

Additionally, the Service's position is that firefighting equipment and manpower must be reinforced to prevent wildfires in national parks. The Service believes that 144 artificial intelligence (AI) wildfire cameras are needed to monitor all sections of national parks without blind spots, and at least 18 high-performance wildfire firefighting vehicles are required for initial suppression of lowland wildfires. A Ministry of Environment official said, "If the government’s supplementary budget is approved, we will actively promote the reinforcement of firefighting equipment."

On the 7th, employees affiliated with the Korea National Park Service were conducting work to assess the scale of fire damage at Juwangsan National Park in Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk. Photo by Song Seung-seop

Meanwhile, an official investigation to accurately assess the damage began in earnest on the 7th. The Korea National Park Service formed an investigation team consisting of 17 members from the National Park Research Institute, 2 from the Wildlife Conservation Center, and 27 from the Ecosystem Survey Team to calculate the extent and ecological damage. On that day, eight investigators met at Juwangsan and split into two groups to climb steep mountain paths without trails. The investigators used measuring tapes to determine how high the trees had burned and drilled holes to check tree rings to confirm the age of the damaged trees. Soil sampling was also conducted in the survey area. This process aims to analyze microorganisms in the soil to determine whether the forest will naturally recover.

It is expected to take considerable time to finalize the total damage scale. The Service plans to complete basic field surveys by the 10th and then evaluate biological resource damage and natural vegetation recovery starting next month. A total of 47 experts in 21 teams will conduct a detailed assessment of Juwangsan across nine categories. The analysis process is expected to continue until December at the latest.

An 'Emergency Ecological Restoration Plan' will be implemented in the damaged area. According to the plan, the Service will collect and propagate seeds of dominant species in preparation for restoration work. In the case of Juwangsan, the target seeds are Mongolian oak, ash tree, sawtooth oak, hornbeam, and pine. Artificial nests will be installed for birds that lost their habitats due to the wildfire within the park, and temporary food such as hay will be placed along the park boundaries to improve habitat conditions. For trails, available resources will be mobilized to reopen them before the rainy season in June.