Head of the Korea Association of Forest Enviro-conservation Technology
This summer, the country has seen an unusually high number of landslides due to concentrated heavy rainfalls. In 2023, the nationwide damage from landslides amounted to 2,410 cases with 458 hectares of land lost, resulting in 15 fatalities. Business Korea had a detailed conversation with Choi Byeong-am, the President of the Korea Association of Forest Enviro-conservation Technology, about strategies for preventing forest disasters.
Q: Could you introduce the Korea Association of Forest Enviro-conservation Technology?
A: The Korea Association of Forest Enviro-conservation Technology (formerly the Check Dam Association) is a special corporation under the jurisdiction of the Korea Forest Service, established on Jan. 5, 2009, according to the Check Dam Project Act to perform tasks such as feasibility evaluation of check dam projects and inspection of erosion control facilities. Currently, our scope of work has expanded to include investigations of landslide-prone areas, surveys on the state of disaster risk areas, feasibility evaluations of forest roads and forest restoration, and surveys on the feasibility of forest land conversion. On Oct. 14, 2021, following a legislative revision, the association’s name was changed from the Check Dam Association to the Korea Association of Forest Enviro-conservation Technology. The association employs 115 staff members and has its headquarters in Osong, with eight regional branches nationwide.
Q: What has the association done this year for disaster prevention and recovery?
A: During the summer disaster management period from May 15 to Oct. 15, our association operated a situation room in coordination with the Korea Forest Service, according to the crisis alert levels. We quickly dispatched to disaster sites to assess damage and prevent further losses. Additionally, we participated in the Korea Forest Service’s landslide cause investigation team, performing analysis on the causes of landslides and contributing to the establishment of rational recovery plans. We also conducted emergency assessments to prevent secondary damages in areas affected by large forest fires.
We continuously improve our technical expertise and professional capabilities related to landslides to secure prediction and prevention technologies and minimize damage to life and property through proactive measures like the establishment of evacuation systems.
Q: Could you speak about the necessity and effectiveness of check dam projects?
A: Check dam projects aim to prevent landslides and conserve national land by restoring barren lands, preventing collapses in mountainous areas, and controlling the outflow of earth and logs. These projects involve constructing structures and planting vegetation. They have proven to be effective in preventing disasters like landslides, conserving national land, creating a production base for forest resources, water source cultivation, stream environment conservation, and preserving living environments.
In the 1970s and 1980s, when the land was barren, efforts focused on afforestation and preventing mountains from collapsing through forestation and hillside erosion control projects. From the 1990s and into the 2000s, the emphasis shifted to installing check dams and conducting stream conservation projects to prevent large-scale casualties from debris flow.
This year, several media reports have highlighted the role of check dams in preventing forest sediment disasters or mitigating damage from debris flow. For example, a check dam completed in the village of Bisang in the Naesu district of Cheongju city in June successfully held back 700 tons of earth, minimizing damage to the village.
Q: Please discuss the best strategies for preventing disasters and human casualties due to landslides.
A: There are four key measures I’d like to discuss for improving landslide vulnerability area designation and management. First, there’s a need to designate and manage areas vulnerable to landslides that are adjacent to forests but outside recognized vulnerable zones, as there are blind spots where landslides still occur. Establishing a management system based on forest watershed units to minimize these blind spots and efficiently manage forest spaces is critical.
Secondly, considering climate change and weather anomalies, managing risk areas for evacuation is crucial. During certain heavy rainfall conditions or times of heightened landslide risk, the introduction of mandatory evacuation policies should be considered.
Third, establishing national landslide statistics is important. The increasing trend of larger and more frequent landslides, due to changes in rainfall patterns with climate change, shows the limitations of our current recovery-focused statistical management. Therefore, creating a systematic basis for landslide statistics for effective prevention and response is necessary. This includes building a spatial information database for previous landslide sites and pushing for national approval of landslide occurrence statistics.
Finally, reinforcing facilities against extreme rainfall is necessary. As I mentioned, we are seeing more frequent intense rainfall events, exceeding 100-year frequencies. For instance, Changwon recorded a 500-year frequency downpour during Typhoon Khanun in August. Therefore, it’s necessary to expand the design rainfall amounts for forest roads and erosion control facilities and strengthen installation regulations to prepare for potential disasters.