Gapyeong Pine Wilt Disease Special Control Zone to Be Designated Oct. 29... Choo Miae's Pledge of Support Bears Fruit

The special control zone for pine wilt disease in Gapyeong County, which Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae pledged to support actively, will be designated at the end of this month.

According to Gyeonggi Province on October 16, the Korea Forest Service announced on October 13 a draft administrative notice on the designation of a special control zone for pine wilt disease in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province.

The Korea Forest Service said in the notice that it plans to designate all of Gapyeong County, covering 84,366 hectares, including 68,332 hectares of forest, as a special control zone to prevent the spread of pine wilt disease. The designation will take effect on October 29 and remain in effect until a notice lifting it is issued.

The number of pine trees affected by pine wilt disease in Gapyeong County rose about 16-fold in five years, from 4,591 in 2021 to 72,507 in 2025. The disease-control budget also surged fourfold, from 828 million won in 2021 to 3.518 billion won in 2025, placing a burden on the county's finances.

Choo Miae, governor of Gyeonggi Province, inspects the site with county officials after visiting Gapyeong County, which has recently been severely affected by pine wilt disease. Provided by Gyeonggi Province.

Designation as a special control zone for pine wilt disease allows year-round control measures and streamlines procedures, including eliminating the need to collect branches, enabling more effective control. In Gyeonggi Province, Yangpyeong County became the first in the province to be designated a special control zone for pine wilt disease in August. If Gapyeong County is designated, it will be the second.

On October 9, Hangeul Day, Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae visited Nami Island, known for its exemplary efforts to control pine wilt disease, and discussed countermeasures with Gapyeong County Governor Seo Tae-won and others.

Meanwhile, Governor Choo has continued making on-site visits this month to curb the spread of pine wilt disease. After ordering a strong response on October 5, including the formation of a dedicated task force and the establishment of a coordinated province-wide response system, she visited Mulhyanggi Arboretum in Osan on October 7 and ordered measures including the establishment of containment lines and research into preventive vaccines.

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