No Landslide Risk in Wildfire Areas... Government TF Activated

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has launched a dedicated task force (TF) to minimize landslides and other damages in areas affected by wildfires. This decision was made based on the assessment that the ground has weakened due to the extensive loss of forests caused by recent large-scale wildfires.

Yonhap News

The first meeting, held on the 10th and chaired by Oh Byeong-kwon, Director of the Natural Disaster Office, was attended by representatives from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Korea Forest Service, local governments including Ulsan, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam, Korea Expressway Corporation, and the National Agency for Safety Management. At this meeting, the progress and cooperation status of each agency regarding slope disaster prevention were discussed. It was also decided to identify and address risk factors in wildfire-affected areas before the start of the summer heavy rainfall season.

Due to the recent wildfires, retaining walls, terraces, and rockfall prevention facilities have been damaged, raising concerns about secondary damage such as slope collapses during heavy rains. Director Oh stated, "We will swiftly establish measures to identify risk factors in wildfire-affected areas and minimize slope disaster damage through public-private cooperation."

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to conduct on-site investigations by June 15 through a joint inspection team consisting of over 130 personnel from nine ministries, including private experts in forestry, urban planning, and rescue.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, wildfires that occurred in 11 areas of the Yeongnam region from the 21st to the 30th of last month burned 48,239 hectares. This is equivalent to 48,239 soccer fields (1 hectare each) or 166 times the area of Yeouido (290 hectares). The human toll included 31 deaths, 9 serious injuries, and 42 minor injuries, totaling 82 casualties. Facility damage affected 8,132 locations, of which 4,236 (52%) were residential houses and 3,151 (39%) were agricultural facilities.