Uljin-gun in North Gyeongsang Province is urging the government to assume national responsibility for controlling pine wilt disease as the blight threatens the region's Geumgang pine forests. [Uljin-gun]
Uljin-gun in North Gyeongsang Province is urging the government to assume national responsibility for controlling pine wilt disease as the blight threatens the region's Geumgang pine forests. [Uljin-gun]

Uljin-gun is calling on the central government to take direct national responsibility for controlling pine wilt disease as the blight threatens to spread through the area's Geumgang pine forests.

The county said Friday it holds the country's largest Geumgang pine grove along with other major ecological and scenic resources, and that controlling the disease there requires a level of funding, specialized personnel and containment measures that goes beyond ordinary forest pest management — and must be led by the state.

Pine wilt disease was first detected in Uljin in December 2020. Sustained control efforts brought the area to disease-free status in December 2023, but the blight re-emerged just 10 months later, in October 2024.

The number of confirmed infected trees has reached 195. Pine transport restriction zones now cover 36 villages across nine towns and townships, spanning 30,864 hectares — about 36 percent of Uljin-gun's total forest area.

In response, the county has shifted its focus from removing infected trees after they are found to proactively cutting off the disease's spread before it advances.

In particular, the county is working to establish a "tree-injection control belt" along a nationally designated pine grove stretching from Wolsong-ri in Pyeonghae-eup to Onjeong-myeon, using a compound tree injection whose efficacy lasts up to four years.

The county acknowledges, however, that managing such a vast and nationally significant forest over the long term with its own budget and staff alone has clear limits.

Pine wilt disease has already grown into a nationwide forest disaster. According to the Korea Forest Service, about 1.77 million dead and damaged trees have been recorded across 166 cities, counties and districts nationwide, and approximately 3.09 million trees — including those suspected of infection — have been removed.

The government has drawn up a national pine wilt disease control strategy covering 2026 to 2030, which includes building a national control belt and implementing region-specific containment measures.

Uljin-gun argues that for the strategy to produce real results, the government must move away from distributing budgets uniformly across all affected areas and instead pursue a policy of "selection and concentration" — directing resources where they matter most.

The county says Uljin, home to the country's largest Geumgang pine grove, should be designated the "last line of defense" for protecting South Korea's premium pine forests and managed as the core protection zone within the national control belt.

Uljin-gun is asking the government to designate the Geumgang pine grove area as a core zone within the national control belt, establish a wide-area containment buffer between infected zones and key protected areas, carry out clear-cutting of small and isolated infected clusters alongside long-lasting tree injections, and concentrate dedicated national funding and specialized personnel on the national control belt.

"Uljin-gun will fulfill its responsibilities in controlling pine wilt disease," said Hwang I-ju, the county chief. "The government must also recognize Uljin — home to the country's largest Geumgang pine grove — as the last line of defense for South Korea's pine forests, and build a strong defensive line here under national responsibility, starting now."


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com