"Forty Days After the Wildfire, All We Got Was a Meal Ticket"... Democratic Party's Mi Ae Lim Holds Meeting with Affected Residents

Cheongsong and Yeongdeok Residents Raise Their Voices
"We Lost 70% of Pine Mushroom Production"

Mi Ae Lim, a proportional representative of the Democratic Party, visited Cheongsong-gun and Yeongdeok-gun in North Gyeongsang Province on April 30, following the massive wildfires that caused extensive damage. She held meetings with residents affected by the wildfires and listened to their concerns on site.

These meetings were organized separately by the Cheongsong Wildfire Damage Compensation Emergency Response Committee and the Yeongdeok Wildfire Victims Countermeasures Committee. The Cheongsong meeting took place at the Emergency Response Committee office, while the Yeongdeok meeting was held in the conference room of the Yeongdeok Forest Products Distribution Center.

Democratic Party member Mi Ae Lim

Residents of Cheongsong-gun voiced their frustration, stating, "It has been 40 days since the wildfire, but we have not yet received any emergency livelihood support funds. All we have received is a single meal ticket." They questioned, "How can this be considered emergency support?" They also pointed out that the amount of support for agricultural machinery restoration varies by local government, leading to a strong sense of relative deprivation compared to neighboring regions.

Similar appeals were made by affected residents during the Yeongdeok meeting. One elderly resident said, "It was only after my family home, which had been passed down for generations, burned down that I learned it was an unregistered building." He added that he was left devastated by the reality that "no support is available" because of this status.

Furthermore, Yeongdeok, which has maintained the top spot in pine mushroom production for 13 consecutive years, lost 70% of its total production due to this wildfire. There is now a grim outlook that pine mushroom harvesting will be virtually impossible for the next 30 to 40 years. Residents called for the practical implementation of the forestry direct payment system and urged comprehensive structural reforms of forest policy.

Representative Lim stated, "While I cannot resolve all issues immediately here today, I will ensure the passage of a special law." She emphasized, "When subordinate regulations are established and the support and compensation committee is launched, I will do my utmost to ensure that every concern raised here is fully reflected."

Meanwhile, on April 18, Representative Lim introduced the "2025 Special Act on Compensation and Support for Victims of Large-Scale Wildfires in North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang, and Ulsan," aiming for the practical recovery of affected residents and communities who lost their livelihoods due to the massive wildfires. The bill stipulates that the state and local governments must establish responsible compensation and recovery systems.