# South Korea pine wilt disease management > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/south-korea-pine-wilt-disease-management > Updated: 2026-10-25T04:53:31.000Z. Sources: 12. Developments: 7. South Korean authorities are intensifying management and control strategies to combat the spread of pine wilt disease. Nationally, the number of damaged trees has risen significantly, with Gyeonggi Province reporting 116,665 infected trees following a 67.8% surge. In Gwangyang, over 33,000 trees are reported as infected, while Gapyeong County has seen damage escalate from 4,591 trees in 2021 to 72,507 last year, severely impacting local pine nut production. To address resource management, the Korea Forest Service and Chungcheongnam-do are establishing an ‘industrialized prevention system.’ This initiative aims to transform damaged timber into high-value products, such as sawn timber and boards, before using remaining materials for fuel. To prevent disease spread during transport, the plan utilizes mesh-covered boxes and 14-day fumigation processes. Regional responses are becoming more specialized. Chungcheongnam-do is developing a ‘Chungnam-style control strategy’ to move beyond simple tree removal toward systematic management based on regional forest conditions. Several areas, including Boryeong and Gapyeong, are being designated as special prevention zones to allow for year-round control measures like preventive injections and species conversion. In Gapyeong, a species conversion project is currently 60% complete, aiming to replace damaged Korean pines with more resilient species. As the crisis scales, local leaders are calling for increased central government support. Gapyeong County Mayor Seo Tae-won has proposed raising the national subsidy for forest disaster countermeasures from 50% to 70% to alleviate the rising financial burden on municipalities. In response to recent outbreaks, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has ordered a comprehensive response to ensure no infected trees remain in the city after 74 infections were identified across districts such as Gangdong and Seongbuk. The city is shortening the preventive medicine injection cycle from three years to two and deploying drones for surveillance in hard-to-reach areas. ## Timeline ### 2026-10-25: Seoul implements intensive measures against pine wilt disease Seoul is intensifying its fight against pine wilt disease by using drones for surveillance and shortening the preventive medicine injection cycle for major parks and forests like Namsan. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/seoul-implements-intensive-measures-against-pine-wilt-disease ### 2026-10-24: Gapyeong officials and Korea Forest Service inspect pine wilt disease sites Gapyeong County and the Korea Forest Service are inspecting pine wilt disease sites to implement species conversion and forest restoration following a massive surge in tree mortality and declining pine nut 생산. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/gapyeong-officials-and-korea-forest-service-inspect-pine-wilt-disease-sites ### 2026-10-18: South Korea faces surge in pine wilt disease amid calls for national funding South Korea faces a surge in pine wilt disease, prompting Yeongcheon to shift to selective forest protection and calls for full national funding to support struggling local governments. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/south-korea-faces-surge-in-pine-wilt-disease-amid-calls-for-national-funding ### 2026-10-16: South Korea to establish 800km national pine wilt disease prevention belt South Korea will build an 800km national prevention belt by 2030 to stop the spread of pine wilt disease, starting with a pilot project in Uljin this year. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/south-korea-to-establish-800km-national-pine-wilt-disease-prevention-belt ### 2026-10-06: Chungcheongnam-do to industrialize pine wilt disease prevention The Korea Forest Service and Chungcheongnam-do are launching an industrialized prevention system to repurpose timber damaged by pine wilt disease into high-value wood products and fuel. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/chungcheongnam-do-to-industrialize-pine-wilt-disease-prevention ### 2026-10-04: South Korean regions intensify fight against pine wilt disease South Korean authorities are ramping up forest protection as pine wilt disease spreads, with Gyeonggi Province reporting a nearly 68% surge in infected trees and Boryeong designated as a special prevention zone 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/south-korea-intensifies-fight-against-spreading-pine-wilt-disease ### 2026-09-30: South Korea intensifies pine wilt disease control efforts South Korean authorities are implementing localized strategies to combat pine wilt disease, including site inspections in Hadong and the development of a specialized regional control system in Chungcheongnam-do 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/south-korea-intensifies-pine-wilt-disease-control-efforts --- Cite as: South Korea pine wilt disease management. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/south-korea-pine-wilt-disease-management