Gyeongsangnam-do Governor Park Wansu Inspects Pine Wilt Disease Control and Wildfire Response in Haman

As pine wilt disease damage continues to increase across the country, Gyeongsangnam-do Governor Park Wan-su visited Haman-gun to inspect efforts to control the disease.

On November 10, Governor Park visited a site in Naegok-ri, Yeohang-myeon, Haman-gun, where preventive tree injections for pine wilt disease are being carried out.

The site is a 25-hectare forest adjacent to Jinbuk-myeon, Masanhappo-gu, Changwon. To prevent the disease from spreading toward the Yeohangsan area, it was designated a "frontline control zone"—a boundary area intended to stop the spread of damage—and pine trees there are periodically given preventive injections.

Preventive tree injections are administered in frontline control zones and pine forests of high conservation value. Depending on the chemical used, the effects last for two to six years.

Gyeongsangnam-do previously urged the government to designate pine wilt disease as a social disaster and establish a government-wide control system; develop treatments and vaccines and introduce advanced control technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and drones; and establish compensation programs for losses in privately owned forests and support systems to encourage forest owners to participate in disease control.

Gyeongsangnam-do Governor Park Wansoo (right) monitors efforts to control pine wilt disease at a tree-injection treatment site in Naegok-ri, Yeohang-myeon, Haman County. [Photo provided by Gyeongsangnam-do]

After submitting a proposal to the government on October 27, 2026, calling for fundamental national measures to address pine wilt disease, Governor Park visited the site to inspect control efforts firsthand and strengthen proactive responses to forest disasters.

"Damage from pine wilt disease continues to spread, and simply removing trees that have already been affected has its limits," he said. "It is important to contain the spread in severely affected areas and carry out early control in less affected areas to protect healthy pine forests."

He added, "If we miss the window for control, costs inevitably rise and effectiveness declines. Please strengthen proactive measures, including preventive tree injections, and carefully manage field operations so that budgets and personnel are deployed efficiently according to the level of damage in each area and produce tangible results."

He also said, "Pine wilt disease is not a problem confined to any one region; it is a forest disaster that requires a national response. The efforts of local governments alone have limits, so a comprehensive government-level control system, stable financial support, and the development of fundamental control technologies must all be put in place."

The number of trees targeted for pine wilt disease control in Gyeongsangnam-do rose nearly fivefold, from 220,000 in 2022 to 1.11 million in 2026. The province treated 710,000 trees from June 2025 through May 2026, but 400,000 trees still require treatment.

Alongside reactive measures focused on removing affected trees, the province is also carrying out preventive measures to protect healthy pine forests, tailoring its control strategies to the degree of damage.

Park Wansoo, governor of Gyeongsangnam-do (third from right), talks with an official at a staging area for leased wildfire-fighting helicopters in Daesan-myeon, Haman County. [Photo provided by Gyeongsangnam-do]

Concerned about wildfires caused by dry winter weather, Governor Park visited a helipad for a leased wildfire-fighting helicopter in Daesan-myeon, Haman-gun, that day to check the helicopter's operational readiness and preparations for emergency dispatch.

One large helicopter capable of carrying 5,000 liters of water is stationed at the helipad. Gyeongsangnam-do operates a total of 10 leased helicopters across 10 areas of the province.

Governor Park said, "I would like to thank the personnel working on the ground for their efforts. Responding after a wildfire breaks out is important, but how thoroughly we prepare in advance is key to reducing the damage."

He also urged officials to "carefully check equipment maintenance and working conditions so helicopters can be dispatched immediately when a wildfire breaks out, and ensure that coordination among the relevant agencies is maintained."

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