The budget for the forestry sector next year has surpassed the 3 trillion won mark. The forestry budget exceeded 1 trillion won in 2007 and ushered in the 2 trillion won era in 2017. Achieving a 3 trillion won budget is a milestone reached for the first time in nine years, marking the first time since the establishment of the Korea Forest Service.
On December 3, the Korea Forest Service announced that the National Assembly, at its plenary session held the previous day, finalized the forestry sector budget for next year at 3.026 trillion won. This represents an increase of 409.1 billion won (15.6%) compared to this year and is 21.3 billion won higher than the original government proposal of 3.0047 trillion won.
Next year’s budget is primarily allocated to strengthening the forestry industry to enhance disaster response and revitalize forestry business operations. Compared to this year, the largest increases are for forest disaster response (44.3%), forestry industry development (9.2%), climate change response (4.0%), and public welfare enhancement (2.9%), in that order.
With the increased budget, the Korea Forest Service plans to establish new wildfire prevention centers in the southern region and the east coast for large-scale, integrated wildfire response (1.9 billion won for new projects), expand and operate wildfire response centers (4.1 billion won to add 10 new centers), build an artificial intelligence (AI)-based wireless communication network for forest disaster detection (1 billion won for new projects), and increase personnel for forest disaster response (4.2 billion won for labor costs).
In the area of forest welfare services, funds will be allocated to establish the National Goheung (Dadohae) Forest Healing Center (500 million won for new projects), the Jecheon National Forest Healing Center (200 million won for new projects), and the National Yeongyang Jajaknuri Healing Forest (200 million won for new projects).
Additionally, a new budget (200 million won) has been allocated to establish a public forest leisure sports center in Muan, South Jeolla Province.
Furthermore, 9 billion won in new project funds has been included (as an increase) in next year’s budget for the Forest Future Innovation Center to foster young forestry professionals, energy self-sufficient forest villages, island forest landscape restoration, and ecological restoration of Torreya forests around Gwanaksan Mountain and Borimsa Temple.
Kim Inho, Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, stated, "The Korea Forest Service will strive to protect the lives and property of the people and implement forestry policies together with the public under the vision of 'Forests that save people, people that save forests.'"
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