Spring wildfires in Gangwon Province were long considered an unstoppable force of nature — driven by the unusual terrain of the Baekdudaegan mountain spine, where dry leaf clusters in valleys can ignite in powerful vortices and gale-force winds send massive fireballs leaping across ridgelines. Until four years ago, that was simply accepted. Then, starting in 2023, the fires began to subside dramatically.
The turnaround came from a system built on legwork: teams fanned out to identify high-risk ignition zones, placed them under intensive surveillance and mobilized rapidly at the first sign of any spark. The number of fires dropped to just a handful in 2023, and from 2024 onward, no wildfire lasting more than half a day occurred at all.
Municipal teams across Gangwon Province also took a proactive step, spraying fire-suppression and retardant chemicals on known high-risk zones before fire season to blunt any potential ignition.
The results have now earned Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province's wildfire response personnel a clean sweep of national government commendations.
At the 2026 Spring Wildfire Prevention Government Awards, organized by the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the province was recognized for three consecutive years without a major wildfire. It collected three government decorations — one Order of Civil Merit, one presidential commendation and one prime ministerial commendation — along with 24 agency-head citations: nine from the minister of the interior and safety, three from the minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, and 12 from the Korea Forest Service chief. The 27 honors in total were distributed among provincial offices (seven), municipal and county offices (16) and private-sector participants (four).
The sweep reflects meticulous coordination down to the finest details among Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, its cities and counties, and civilian partners.
Among the standout honors, the Gangwon Wildfire Prevention Center received a presidential commendation as an organization, while the center's director, Lee Seong-jin, received the Order of Civil Merit as an individual.
The Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Wildfire Prevention Center, which earned the presidential commendation in the group category, demonstrated its capacity as an integrated wildfire response command hub coordinating the province's network of cities and counties. It achieved three consecutive years of zero major wildfires starting in 2024, cut the average suppression time by 39 minutes compared with the previous year, and reduced the total burned area by 83 percent.
This year, 42 small wildfires broke out, but the average time to full containment was 1 hour and 17 minutes — a full 39 minutes faster than the previous year. The moment a fire ignited, both public and private responders mobilized in full force to stop it from spreading. No major wildfire occurred for three years running as a result.
Lee, who received the individual Order of Civil Merit, was recognized for overseeing the integrated management of all firefighting resources across the province, commanding a round-the-clock wildfire response system and ensuring immediate first-response deployment even for small fires to prevent them from escalating. He was also credited with pioneering a district-based management system for wood-pellet boilers — a first nationwide — that has since been adopted by local governments across the country.
Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Governor Woo Sang-ho said the awards were "a precious achievement made together by the wildfire prevention center, cities and counties, related agencies and all residents of Gangwon Province who have dedicated themselves on the front lines of wildfire response." He added that the province would "continue to maintain a 24-hour, airtight response system alongside its 18 cities and counties to build a safe Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province."
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