Illegal entries into national park fire-control zones quadruple last year's full-year total

The number of fines issued for unauthorized entry into national park fire-control zones during the wildfire prevention season has already surpassed last year's full-year total fourfold, with 92 cases recorded from January through July this year, compared with 21 for all of last year.

The figures come from a five-year record of illegal activity and enforcement actions at national parks submitted to People Power Party lawmaker Kim Wi-sang of the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee by the Korea National Park Service. Fines for "wildfire control" violations stood at 19 in 2022, 11 in 2023, 18 in 2024 and 21 in 2025. This year, 92 violations were recorded in just the first seven months.

A "wildfire control" violation refers to entering a designated restricted zone during the wildfire prevention season. This spring, the park service restricted access to 148 trail sections across 19 national parks from Feb. 15 to May 15.

On other fire-related violations, fines for smoking and bringing flammable materials into parks have declined.

Smoking fines fell from 217 in 2022 to 47 in 2023, 43 in 2024 and 46 in 2025, with only five recorded through July this year. Fines for bringing in flammable materials dropped from 17 in 2022 to five in 2023, three in 2024 and six in 2025, with none issued so far this year.

The drop in fines, however, does not reflect a comparable decline in actual violations. According to the park service's comprehensive enforcement data, smoking violations last year resulted in 48 fines but 5,138 warnings, meaning the vast majority of cases were handled through informal caution rather than formal penalty.

"As the peak foliage season draws visitors to national parks, dry leaves accumulate on the trails and even a single spark can trigger a major wildfire," Kim said. "The last line of defense against wildfires is the caution of each and every citizen — I urge everyone to take extra care to avoid entering restricted zones and to handle any source of fire with the utmost responsibility."