Korea, France, AFoCO expand cooperation on wildfire response in Asia
Representatives of the Korea Forest Service, the French government and the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization attend the second steering committee meeting for the Forest Fire Management in Asia project in France, Oct. 1. Courtesy of Korea Forest Service
The Korea Forest Service (KFS) said it has agreed with the French government and the Asian Forest Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO), an intergovernmental organization based in Seoul, to expand training for wildfire specialists across Asia.
The three parties held the second steering committee meeting in France for the Forest Fire Management in Asia (FFMA) project from Oct. 1-3, during which they reviewed its first-year achievements, including training conducted in Thailand, Indonesia and Kazakhstan, and discussed plans and the budget for 2027.
Participants agreed to continue expanding training and developing wildfire specialists, with the aim of bringing more countries and partner institutions into the initiative and, in the long term, developing the FFMA into a major international cooperation program.
During the visit, the Korean delegates also held meetings with French officials responsible for matters related to wildfire. The exchanges covered France’s wildfire prevention policies and its framework for international cooperation on wildfire response.
The two sides explored ways to combine Korea’s experience in responding to wildfires with France’s expertise in specialist education and training, according to the KFS.
On the sidelines, Seoul National University, France’s Paris Sciences et Lettres University and AFoCO signed a memorandum of understanding on a scholarship program for dual master’s degrees. Four scholarship recipients will be selected to begin their studies in September 2027.
“As large wildfires become more frequent worldwide, international cooperation to share experience and technology is becoming increasingly important,” said Lee Hyun-joo, director of international cooperation at the KFS.
“By combining Korea’s wildfire response experience, France’s expertise in education and training, and AFoCO’s regional network, we will develop the FFMA into a flagship initiative for global cooperation on wildfire management.”