North Gyeongsang council urges government to declare pine wilt disease a national disaster

The Culture and Environment Committee of the North Gyeongsang Provincial Council passed a resolution Tuesday urging the government to designate pine wilt disease as a national disaster and declare affected areas special disaster zones.

According to the Korea Forest Service, about 1.77 million trees died from pine wilt disease nationwide during the 2026 control period (June 2025 through May 2026), up 280,000 from the previous year, while the control rate was limited to 63 percent.

The damage has been concentrated in North Gyeongsang Province. Some 794,568 dead trees were recorded across 21 cities and counties in the province, accounting for 44.8 percent of the national total. Of the six areas nationwide rated "extreme" for damage severity, three — Pohang, Gyeongju and Andong — are in North Gyeongsang.

The resolution calls for amending the Framework Act on Disaster and Safety Management to classify pine wilt disease as a national disaster, declaring special disaster zones in areas rated "extreme" or "severe," having the central government fully fund public safety costs in special control zones and "extreme"-rated areas, and designating a core pine conservation zone around the Uljin Korean red pine forest cluster under national management.

"Pine wilt disease is no longer a regional forest pest — it is a disaster the state must take responsibility for," committee Chair Kim Dae-jin said. "North Gyeongsang is bearing nearly half the national damage, and the government and the National Assembly must respond with legislative reform and fiscal support."