"If We Don't Stop It Now, It Will Be Irreversible"... South Gyeongsang Calls for National-Level Response to Pine Wilt Disease

Forests across Gyeongsangnam-do have turned reddish brown. At a glance, they may look as if the leaves have changed color early, but in reality, the trees are dying or dead from pine wilt disease.

As climate change has expanded the range and activity period of the insect vectors of pine wilt disease, more than 1.77 million pine trees have been damaged across 177 cities, counties and districts nationwide. The figure has nearly doubled in two years, with 82% of the damage nationwide concentrated in 27 cities and counties in North Gyeongsang and South Gyeongsang provinces.

On October 27, Gyeongsangnam-do announced at a press briefing at the provincial government press center that it would submit a proposal to the central government calling for a national response, describing the spread of pine wilt disease as being at a “national disaster level.”

The province said, “The number of pine trees killed by pine wilt disease is soaring uncontrollably across the country,” adding, “The current fragmented responses by local governments and limited local finances are insufficient to stop the rapid spread.”

A hillside in Goam-myeon, Changnyeong County, Gyeongsangnam-do, infected with pine wilt disease. [Photo courtesy of Gyeongsangnam-do]

Accordingly, the province called for pine wilt disease damage to be explicitly included within the scope of “social disasters” under the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety. It also urged the government to establish a state-led control tower and an emergency response system capable of providing personnel, funding and other support.

It also stressed the need to move beyond post-damage measures focused on removing affected trees through fumigation and chipping, and to substantially expand state investment in research and development for fundamental treatments and vaccines. It called as well for the standardization and field deployment of advanced pest-control technologies, including AI-powered drone surveillance and satellite monitoring.

In addition, the province called for institutionalizing compensation standards to cover restrictions on forest owners’ property rights during pest-control operations and economic losses caused by the felling of affected trees. It also urged the introduction of a public-interest-based direct payment program for pest control to encourage private forest owners to participate voluntarily.

The province plans to deliver a proposal containing these points to the Office of the President, the Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly, the offices of the Minister of the Interior and Safety and the head of the Korea Forest Service, the floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties, the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, and the offices of lawmakers from the province.

It also plans to submit a related agenda item to the Governors Association of Korea.

In his proposal to the central government, Governor Park Wan-soo said, “If we fail to stop it now, we will face an irreversible catastrophe,” and appealed to the government and the National Assembly to “recognize the seriousness of the spread of pine wilt disease, and swiftly implement effective measures, including establishing a response system on par with that for a national disaster, providing stable financial support, and developing fundamental pest-control technologies.”

Status of pine wilt disease outbreaks in Gyeongsangnam-do. [Data provided by Gyeongsangnam-do]

Pinewood nematodes are approximately 1 mm-long worms that parasitize exotic insect vectors, including the Japanese pine sawyer and the northern pine sawyer, with tens of thousands living on each insect. They enter trees through the openings created when the vectors feed on the leaves of pine trees.

The nematodes block the tree’s vascular system, which transports water and nutrients. Infected pine trees dry out from the top down, turn reddish brown as if their leaves were falling, and eventually die. There is no treatment yet, and the mortality rate is 100%.

This year, 310,000 trees in Gyeongsangnam-do were found to be infected with pine wilt disease.

The number of trees targeted for pest control rose sharply, from 220,000 in 2022 to 420,000 in 2023, 450,000 in 2024, 580,000 in 2025 and 1.11 million in 2026.

Infected trees were found in all 18 cities and counties in the province, with the damage reported to be most severe in Sacheon, Gimhae and Hadong.

Major national heritage sites and forest ecosystems are also under threat from pine wilt disease, including Mupunghansong-ro at Tongdosa Temple in Yangsan, a UNESCO World Heritage site, Hadong Songnim Forest and Jirisan National Park.

There are also concerns about declining incomes for forestry workers in forests that produce pine mushrooms, which grow in symbiosis with pine roots, as well as safety accidents caused by the deaths of protected trees and pine trees in residential areas.

Lee Jaecheol, director of the Environmental and Forestry Bureau of Gyeongsangnam-do, is announcing a proposal to the central government on responding to pine wilt disease. [Photo by Lee Seryeong]

Gyeongsangnam-do said that it has worked with the Korea Forest Service, cities and counties, and relevant organizations on pest-control projects and related research and development, but that local government finances alone are not enough.

The province explained that because it also takes the lead in managing national heritage sites and national parks within its borders, the central government’s budget for pest control in the first half of the year and disaster-response funds for the second half are insufficient to cover pest-control operations in areas affected by pine wilt disease. It added that the burden on local finances is also substantial.

The province added that funding for pine wilt disease control should be included in the government’s initial budget and that national funding should be substantially increased so that pest-control operations can be planned and carried out from the beginning of the year.

Lee Jaecheol, director of the Environment and Forestry Bureau, said, “Pine trees are a treasured forest resource that symbolizes our people’s history and sentiment and has helped sustain the ecological backbone of our land.” He added, “The government must respond to this ecological and cultural national disaster, which threatens national heritage, ecosystems and the future of local communities all at once.”

He continued, “Gyeongsangnam-do will strengthen its pest-control system and continue efforts to contain the spread of damage, focusing on areas with severe outbreaks designated as special pest-control zones, including Sacheon, Gimhae, Miryang, Changnyeong and Hadong.” He added, “We will work closely with the government and relevant organizations and devote all our capabilities to protecting pine forests and national heritage sites.”

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