More than 2,000 residents who suffered damage, including homes burned down, from a large wildfire that broke out in North Gyeongsang in March last year filed a lawsuit seeking damages from the government and local authorities.
The Gyeongbuk Wildfire Joint Countermeasures Committee held a press conference on the 29th in front of the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, and said it filed a damages suit against the state; North Gyeongsang Province, the wildfire-affected area; five cities and counties including Andong, Yeongyang, Yeongdeok, Uiseong, and Cheongsong; and the two initial fire starters.
The plaintiffs are 2,110 wildfire victims residing in five cities and counties in North Gyeongsang. They each sought 1 million won in consolation money.
The joint committee argued that the North Gyeongsang wildfire was not a simple natural disaster but a man-made disaster caused by poor forest management, a disregard for safety, and failure in initial suppression. It added that, under the Constitution, the state's duties to prevent disasters and protect the people recognize the state's legal responsibility and obligation to compensate for the North Gyeongsang wildfire.
The joint committee said, "The cost to restore completely burned dwellings runs into hundreds of millions of won, but the support funds are only a little over 30 million won, and even after a year, the victims remain confined and neglected in temporary container dwellings."
They said, "The government must establish concrete and realistic compensation standards that victims can accept." They also urged the National Assembly to conduct a parliamentary investigation into the causes of the wildfire and the inadequate response.
Shim Wang-jun, co-chair of the joint committee, said, "The displaced are suffering secondary damage, with temporary dwellings recently damaged by heavy rain." Attorney Kim Young-gon of Suho Law Firm, representing the victims, said, "We will hold the state and local governments, which failed to fulfill obligations related to wildfire prevention and preparedness, accountable for illegality."