Gapyeong County, with 82% Forest Land, Achieves Zero Major Wildfires Thanks to Proactive Response

Gapyeong Sets Example in Minimizing Spring Wildfire Damage
All-Out Effort by Public Officials Draws Attention

This spring, as large wildfires broke out across the country, raising a sense of national crisis, Gapyeong County in Gyeonggi Province has drawn attention as a model case by minimizing wildfire damage through proactive response measures.

Gapyeong County employees extinguishing a wildfire. Provided by Gapyeong County

On May 26, Gapyeong County (Governor Seo Taewon) announced that during the "spring wildfire prevention period" operated from February 1 to May 15, only three small wildfires occurred, with the total damaged area limited to just 0.094 hectares (approximately 282 pyeong), which is a very minimal level.

This is an exceptionally rare achievement, especially considering that 82% of the county’s total area consists of forest land, making it highly vulnerable to wildfires.

The county established a comprehensive wildfire prevention plan for the spring season and operated a "Comprehensive Wildfire Prevention Headquarters," led by the Forestry Division and involving six towns and townships.

Additionally, the county deployed a total of 80 wildfire personnel, including 38 professional wildfire prevention and suppression staff and 42 wildfire monitors, focusing patrols and surveillance on areas most vulnerable to wildfires.

In particular, from March 28 to May 1, when the wildfire alert levels "Caution" and "Serious" were issued, the county activated an emergency duty system for public officials. On average, 130 personnel were dispatched to the field during the "Caution" phase each day, and 197 during the "Serious" phase. Considering that the total number of public officials in Gapyeong County is about 830, this means that during the "Serious" phase, approximately one in every four officials participated in wildfire prevention activities. During this period, a total of 2,679 public officials were mobilized for wildfire monitoring and prevention, effectively blocking the spread of wildfires at the source.

Promotional activities were also carried out actively. The county produced and distributed 11,713 wildfire prevention promotional materials, and during wildfire alerts, it distributed 4,900 leaflets and conducted on-site guidance activities targeting 5,768 people in forest areas. In addition, the county utilized various media, including village broadcasts, buses, and electronic displays, to conduct multidimensional publicity campaigns, raising residents’ awareness and vigilance.

Furthermore, to preemptively prevent wildfires caused by the burning of agricultural by-products, the county implemented a support project for shredding agricultural waste from February to April, handling 443 cases and approximately 1,200 tons, thereby making thorough efforts to prevent wildfires.

Seo Taewon, Governor of Gapyeong County, stated, "Thanks to the cooperation of residents and the dedication of public officials, we were able to minimize wildfire damage during this spring, which was marked by frequent dry weather and strong winds. We will continue to maintain a systematic response system to do our utmost to protect the pristine forests of Gapyeong."