Andong City Council Wildfire Special Committee Submits 35 Resident-Driven Proposals

Calls for Institutional Reforms:
Reinvestigation of Damaged Areas,
Practical Support for Agricultural Machinery,
and Special Provisions for Reconstruction

The Andong City Council in North Gyeongsang Province has begun taking concrete measures to address the needs of residents affected by wildfires.

The Andong City Council determined that an effective recovery plan was needed, given the extensive and varied damage caused by the large-scale wildfire that occurred in March. As a result, on April 21, the council formed a Special Committee on Wildfire Damage Countermeasures (hereinafter referred to as the Special Committee) through a plenary session, aiming to gather residents' opinions and create practical solutions.

The Special Committee is chaired by Lee Jaegap, a nine-term council member, and consists of a total of seven members. Many of the committee members represent the affected districts, strengthening their role as advocates for the residents. To date, the Special Committee has held four meetings, received recovery status reports from the executive branch, and identified 35 suggestions, which it has submitted as priorities.

In particular, a proposal to increase the subsidy ratio for agricultural machinery, referencing cases from other cities and counties, was immediately accepted and implemented by the executive branch, resulting in tangible outcomes.

Additionally, from May 7 to May 9, the Special Committee held resident meetings in the affected areas over three days to listen directly to the voices of those impacted.

The main additional suggestions identified through these meetings include: the need for a re-investigation of housing damage areas due to dissatisfaction with the differential disaster relief payments based on area; the necessity for further investigation into unreported or ongoing wildfire damage; the establishment of a system for issuing verification certificates based on the NDMS (National Disaster Management System) so that individuals can check their own damage reports; the adjustment of standard prices for agricultural machinery subsidy projects and restructuring of the subsidy system to exclude disaster relief funds; the development of measures to ensure the effectiveness of both short-term and long-term agricultural machinery rental projects; and the expansion of special provisions under the Building Act to support the reconstruction of fire-destroyed buildings.

Chairman Lee Jaegap stated, "Although the role of local councils is often limited and reactive, this wildfire disaster requires extraordinary measures that go beyond existing laws and regulations. With a sense of urgency, we have reached out to the residents," adding, "We will do our utmost to ensure that the residents' legitimate demands are substantively reflected, including through institutional improvements."

The activities of the Special Committee are being recognized as a first step not only toward short-term recovery but also toward establishing institutional measures to address similar disasters in the future. The Andong City Council plans to continuously review the suggestions raised and to take follow-up actions through close cooperation with the executive branch.