Sokcho marks seven years without a wildfire, only such district in Gangwon
In short
Sokcho in Gangwon Province has recorded no wildfires since 2020, the only one of the province’s 18 cities and counties without a wildfire record in that period, according to Korea Forest Service statistics. The city received a minister’s commendation for the prevention record, and Park Seong-yeol, head of its specialist wildfire firefighting team, received a Ministry of the Interior and Safety minister’s award. The city says it will keep about 130 team members and watchers, and add equipment and monitoring infrastructure next year.
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Sokcho has recorded no wildfires from 2020 through Oct. 6, the day the reports were published, marking seven consecutive years, Yonhap reported. Citing the Korea Forest Service’s national wildfire information system, both outlets said Gangwon Province saw 392 wildfires over the same period, and that Sokcho is the only one of the province’s 18 cities and counties with no wildfire record. [ 1 , 2 ]
The city received a ministerial commendation for the prevention record, and Park Seong-yeol, who heads Sokcho’s specialist wildfire firefighting team, received a Ministry of the Interior and Safety minister’s award, according to the reports. Yonhap named the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs as the body that commended the city; Asia Economy described the award only as an institutional ministerial commendation. [ 1 , 2 ]
The city says it started its wildfire response system early and combined day-and-night surveillance with checks on hazards around residential areas. It operated a wildfire emergency countermeasure headquarters situation room and a specialist prevention and firefighting team from Jan. 1 to May 31, and deployed day-and-night wildfire watchers from Jan. 26 to reduce gaps in monitoring. It held a wildfire countermeasure meeting on Feb. 20 and ran a tabletop drill on Apr. 8 simulating a wildfire, reviewing each agency’s readiness. [ 1 , 2 ]
On the ground, the effort focused on stopping small fires from spreading into forest, the reports said. Park’s team maintained a 24-hour response system and moved quickly on small fires, and he was also credited with patrolling households using wood-fired boilers to check everyday wildfire risks. In May the city completed a wildfire-prevention forest tending project on 5 hectares in Nohak-dong. [ 1 , 2 ]
For next year, Sokcho plans to keep about 130 firefighting team members and watchers, reinforce personal firefighting equipment and backpack pumps, and overhaul unmanned surveillance cameras and replace guard posts. It said it will continue joint operation of wildfire firefighting helicopters with related agencies and expand participation by civic groups and village heads in prevention work. [ 1 , 2 ]
Mayor Lee Byeong-seon said the award was a result built together by team members, watchers, related agencies and citizens who worked on prevention. He said the city would continue cooperation among the private sector, government and military and thorough prevention activities to protect residents’ safety and the area’s forests. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
Wildfire prevention in Gangwon, a province with substantial forest cover, is a recurring public-safety concern, and the documents present Sokcho’s record as an exception within the province. The city’s stated plans to maintain staffing and monitoring equipment indicate the approach is treated as ongoing work rather than a completed result. The coverage is local and official in character, and the documents do not suggest effects beyond the province.
Key facts
- Sokcho has recorded no wildfires from 2020 through the reporting date on Oct. 6, 2026, a seven-year run. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Gangwon Province saw a total of 392 wildfires over the same period, according to Korea Forest Service statistics. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Sokcho is the only one of Gangwon’s 18 cities and counties with no wildfire record in that period. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Sokcho received a minister’s commendation for the prevention record; Yonhap named the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs as the awarding body. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Park Seong-yeol, head of the city’s specialist wildfire firefighting team, received a Ministry of the Interior and Safety minister’s award. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The city ran a wildfire emergency countermeasure headquarters situation room and a specialist prevention and firefighting team from Jan. 1 to May 31 this year, and deployed day-and-night wildfire watchers from Jan. 26. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The city held a wildfire countermeasure meeting on Feb. 20 and a tabletop drill on Apr. 8. [ 1 , 2 ]
- In May the city completed a wildfire-prevention forest tending project on 5 hectares in Nohak-dong. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- No wildfires were recorded in Sokcho from 2020 through the reporting date, and it is the only city or county in Gangwon with no wildfire record in that period. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Gangwon had 392 wildfires over the period, per Korea Forest Service statistics. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Sokcho received a ministerial commendation for wildfire prevention, and Park Seong-yeol, head of the city’s wildfire firefighting team, received a Ministry of the Interior and Safety ministerial award. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The city operated a wildfire emergency countermeasure situation room and specialist prevention/firefighting team from Jan. 1 to May 31, deployed day-and-night watchers from Jan. 26, held a countermeasure meeting on Feb. 20 and a tabletop drill on Apr. 8. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Sokcho plans to keep about 130 firefighting team members and watchers next year, reinforce personal firefighting gear and backpack pumps, and overhaul unmanned surveillance cameras and guard posts. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Mayor Lee Byeong-seon said the award was the result of work by team members, watchers, related agencies and citizens, and pledged continued cooperation and prevention efforts. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- The exact end date of the wildfire statistics period. Asia Economy says the tally ran from 2020 to June 17 this year, while Yonhap says from January 2020 “to this day”; both cite the same total of 392 wildfires in Gangwon.
- Which ministry issued the commendation to the city. Asia Economy says only that the city received an institutional ministerial commendation; Yonhap is the single source naming the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
- Whether the wildfire count has been verified by any body other than the Korea Forest Service statistics cited by the outlets. Both documents rely on the same forest service data, and no other source is cited.