No new wildfire monitoring CCTVs installed for 10 years
Timber excluded from disaster insurance despite 70% of territory being forest
"Arbor Day should be readjusted as a commemorative day for tree protection and climate response"
Assemblyman Seo Samsuk.
Seo Samseok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Yeongam, Muan, and Shinan in Jeonnam), called for improvements in wildfire response, forest protection and revitalization policies, and stronger commitment from fiscal authorities during the 'Wildfire-Related Current Issues Briefing' held on the 10th.
Seo pointed out, "The wildfires that broke out last month were the worst disaster, occurring simultaneously across the country and resulting in the largest scale of damage and casualties ever. Outdated firefighting equipment and policies failed to support the response, which only increased the damage."
He continued, "Wildfire monitoring CCTVs have not seen any new installations for 10 years, leaving only 25% of all forests under management. Furthermore, the number of special wildfire disaster response crews, planned to expand to 2,500 by 2027, has remained at 435 since 2019 without any request for additional personnel to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety or the Ministry of Economy and Finance, raising concerns about the national wildfire response capacity."
He criticized, "While under former President Moon Jaein's administration, 5 out of 18 parliamentary proposals for increased wildfire response funding were accepted, not a single one out of 19 was reflected under former President Yoon Sukyeol's administration. Whether this is due to fiscal authorities' 'budget cuts' or the lack of effort by the relevant ministries, the fiscal authorities, who first rejected the National Assembly's budget increase proposals for wildfires, must be held accountable."
Seo also criticized the current state of forest product disaster insurance. He said, "With 70% of South Korea's territory being forest, the exclusion of timber from disaster insurance is unrealistic. The 'Forest Product Disaster Insurance System,' created in 2015 at a cost of 4.1 billion KRW, has not been used for nine years due to lack of operational budget, rendering it unusable and resulting in wasted funds."
Regarding the Arbor Day commemorative event, Seo noted, "According to this year's Arbor Day event plan established by the Korea Forest Service, the number of participants is 36,520, which is nearly 30,000 fewer than in 2018 (65,880) seven years ago. The tree planting plan covers 323 hectares, which is only 0.7% of the area affected by wildfires in March (about 48,000 hectares)."
Seo suggested, "In 2005, Arbor Day was excluded from the list of official holidays to foster a working atmosphere, which has diluted its meaning and purpose. It should be readjusted as a new type of official commemorative day in line with tree planting, protection, and climate crisis response."
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