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Climate change ups Korea's wildfire risk by 120 days: Greenpeace

Published: 31 Mar. 2025, 14:31 Updated: 31 Mar. 2025, 16:06

A factory building and materials in the Namhu Agricultural and Industrial Complex in Andong, North Gyeongsang, are seen after being burned by wildfires on March 31. [YONHAP]

Climate change has extended Korea’s wildfire risk period by as much as 120 days annually compared to preindustrial times, according to a study released by Greenpeace on Monday.

The research, led by Professor Kim Hyung-jun of KAIST’s Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy, used climate modeling to compare historical and current atmospheric conditions.

The team applied five major simulation models from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report to calculate average wildfire risk indices. An index of 20 or higher indicates a high risk of wildfire.

The analysis found that the number of days nationwide with an index over 20 has risen significantly. In North Gyeongsang, particularly around the Sobaek Mountain Range, the risk period reached up to 151 days per year — more than 10 times the 14 days recorded before industrialization.

“Human-induced climate change not only increases wildfire intensity but also causes risk periods to start earlier and end later,” Kim said.

Shim Hye-young, a senior researcher at Greenpeace, added that Korea’s increasingly hot, dry climate has heightened vulnerability to large-scale wildfires.

“Short-term responses are not enough. We need a comprehensive wildfire strategy that addresses the climate crisis,” she said.

Greenpeace and Kim’s team plan to continue their joint research. In the second half of the year, they will publish projections of wildfire risk under future scenarios of global temperatures rising by 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), 2 degrees and 4 degrees.

The study also noted that wildfire risk has risen by more than 10 percent on average during peak fire seasons — March to April and October to November. The increase was most notable in inland areas of Chungcheong, Jeolla and North Gyeongsang.

Wildfire season has also shifted earlier by three to five weeks. In South Gyeongsang, the risk period moved from late February to early February, and in South Jeolla, from mid-April to early March. Similar changes were observed in North Chungcheong, Daejeon and Daegu.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY JEONG EUN-HYE [[email protected]]