North Gyeongsang council members criticized for setting paddy ablaze, calling fire department to test response

Home > National > Social Affairs

North Gyeongsang council members criticized for setting paddy ablaze, calling fire department to test response

Published: 28 Nov. 2024, 16:35

The ruined rice paddy that was set on fire by North Gyeongsang council members on Nov. 18. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Officials of the North Gyeongsang provincial council raised eyebrows after they intentionally set a rice paddy ablaze and reported it to the fire department, claiming they wanted to inspect the fire response system.

According to the North Gyeongsang provincial council and the firefighters' union on Wednesday, a report was made to the 119 emergency center at 3:40 p.m. on Nov. 18 about a fire in a rice paddy in Sangju.

“There is smoke near the Sangju Agricultural Cooperative Rice Union Corporation,” said the caller. “It’s not a building, but there’s smoke across the road from the building, in the rice paddy.”

The caller was later revealed to be an employee of the council.

Two fire pump trucks were dispatched, with the first arriving in eight minutes. Once on the scene, they found a bonfire made of weeds set by the council members. Extinguishing the fire took 10 to 20 seconds.

“You responded quickly and did a great job,” said the council members. The officials shook hands with the firefighters and left the scene, requesting that their actions be reported to the fire chief.

The incident occurred during the fall wildfire prevention period, which runs from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15.

Kim Joo-cheol, head of the North Gyeongsang branch of the 119 Union, criticized the act as "abuse of authority and overreach."

“There are regular drills and surprise response exercises,” said Kim. “What the heck is this?”

The council told local media outlet Yonhap News that the fire was intended to ensure public safety and protect lives.

Kim Jin-yeop, vice chairman of the North Gyeongsang provincial council’s construction and firefighting committee, who was reportedly the only one carrying a lighter at the time, personally ignited the fire.

“The paddy was so damp that only smoke rose, and the flames barely caught on,” said the vice chairman. “North Gyeongsang has the slowest fire response times nationwide, and Sangju’s is the worst, so we conducted this inspection.”

“Recently, a resident’s house in Yeongyang County burned down completely because a fire truck’s water spray failed,” said Park Soon-beom, chairman of the committee. “The inspection was to test the spraying equipment.”

Park acknowledged the potential discomfort caused during the inspection and promised to improve future processes.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]