The Ministry of Environment announced on April 9 that they directly inspected fire-prone areas within the Seoraksan National Park in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, and will strengthen the overall surveillance and fire suppression system.
Seoraksan is a region with many slopes and large coniferous forest areas, making initial fire suppression challenging. This inspection is part of proactive measures to reduce the risk of large-scale wildfires. The Ministry confirmed the operation status of the National Park Office’s control system and focused on inspecting fire notification and dissemination guidelines, visitor evacuation plans, and initial suppression plans.
At the site, they plan to hold meetings with disaster management staff to listen to difficulties in equipment and personnel management. Firefighting training using high-performance firefighting vehicles is scheduled to take place in the coniferous-dense areas near the Seorak-dong campground. These vehicles have a water spray capacity ten times greater than existing equipment and water tank capacities more than five times larger, specifically designed to handle mountainous terrain.
The Ministry of Environment and National Park Service maintain a 24-hour real-time surveillance system through CCTVs installed at major points in national parks nationwide. When a wildfire occurs, they immediately deploy initial suppression teams at each office and promptly notify related agencies such as the Fire Department and the Korea Forest Service to prevent the spread. The initial suppression teams consist of a total of 79 teams with 548 members across 31 offices.
This inspection was prompted by recent large wildfires in Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, and Ulsan regions. The Ministry plans to expand the application of AI technology-enhanced CCTVs to all national parks and accelerate the increase of high-performance firefighting vehicles and surveillance personnel.
Minister of Environment Kim Wan-seop stated, “As wildfires continue to become larger, strengthening the initial response capabilities of national parks is urgent,” and added, “The Ministry of Environment will expand cooperation with related agencies to prepare a comprehensive government-level response plan in addition to refining its own response system.”