Pine Wilt Disease Cases in Gyeonggi Surge 67.8%...Chu Mi-ae: "Unified Control Network Response"

90% of Damage Concentrated in Five Northeastern Cities and Counties of Gyeonggi Province

Dedicated Task Force to Be Formed; Five-Year Regional Control Strategy to Be Developed Within the Year

Spread to 116,700 Trees Across 25 Cities and Counties in 20 Years

The number of pine trees infected with Pine Wilt Disease in Gyeonggi Province increased by 67.8% in the past year. As the damage has been concentrated in the northeastern regions such as Gapyeong and Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province has decided to establish a dedicated task force and work together with neighboring local governments for joint control measures.

Pine Wilt Disease Outbreak in Yangpyeong County. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

On October 5, Gyeonggi Province announced that, in response to the spread of Pine Wilt Disease, it has prepared measures to strengthen control and will operate a dedicated Task Force (TF) starting this month.

This initiative was established at the direction of Gyeonggi Governor Chu Mi-ae. Upon receiving a report on the spread of Pine Wilt Disease, Governor Chu ordered the creation of a dedicated task force, the establishment of a dedicated team, the formulation of a five-year regional control strategy, the operation of a joint control council for the Seoul metropolitan area, and the development of a cooperation system with the Korea Forest Service.

According to the province, Pine Wilt Disease was first detected in seven pine trees in Gwangju City in 2006. In the 20 years since, it has spread to 25 cities and counties. Over the most recent one-year period—between June last year and May this year—the number of infected trees reached 116,665, a 67.8% increase compared to the previous year.

About 90% of the total damage was concentrated in five northeastern cities and counties: Gapyeong, Yangpyeong, Pocheon, Namyangju, and Gwangju. Gapyeong and Yangpyeong have been classified as "severe" areas, with more than 30,000 dead trees each. In August, Yangpyeong was designated as a special control zone for the first time in the province.

This month, the province will form the dedicated task force with four personnel, including one team leader. The TF will be responsible for developing the five-year regional control strategy and managing the joint control council for the Seoul metropolitan area. It will also guide the implementation of integrated control methods and species replacement in each city and county, and will inspect monitoring and control efforts.

Within this year, the province plans to develop a large-scale regional control strategy linked with the national control strategy (2026–2030) of the Korea Forest Service. It will support the formulation of annual local control strategies for individual cities and counties and aims to establish a formal dedicated team next year.

A local council for the prevention of Pine Wilt Disease will also be formed to reflect feedback from the field. The council will include relevant public officials, academic experts, forest engineers, forestry workers, and local representatives.

Gyeonggi Province will conduct joint monitoring of border regions together with neighboring local governments such as Seoul and Gangwon Province, and plans to sign work agreements with the Korea Forest Service and related organizations to further strengthen cooperation efforts.

Governor Chu emphasized, "Once a pine tree is infected with Pine Wilt Disease, it has a 100% mortality rate, so it is most important to block the spread at an early stage. The province, cities and counties, and relevant institutions will work as a unified control network centering on the dedicated task force to minimize further damage."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.