Sokcho mayor in hot seat over wildfire response

By Kang Seung-woo

The mayor of Sokcho, one of the areas worst affected by last week's wildfires in Gangwon Province, has found himself at the center of a controversy due to his absence from duty at the time of the blaze.

The forest fires ― the worst the country has seen since 2005 ― broke out on Thursday night in the mountainous county of Goseong and quickly spread to neighboring towns and cities, including Sokcho, with more than 4,000 people being evacuated from their homes.

While the fire was engulfing the region, Mayor Kim Cheol-su was vacationing on Jeju Island to celebrate his wife's 60th birthday. Kim and his family flew to the resort island the morning before the start of the blaze.

Kim learned the news of the fires at 7:20 p.m. and tried to book a flight to return home, but found all flights were sold out. The deputy mayor stepped in for Kim, who eventually arrived at the emergency headquarters at 10:00 a.m., the following day.

However, some local media outlets took issue with Kim's being absent for personal reasons and the controversy has emerged as unexpected fallout from the Gangwon wildfires.

Some critics said it was not a proper decision for a local governor to go on a family trip when the nation was going all-out against a forest fire, while others said it did not make sense that it took 15 hours for the mayor to travel from Jeju to Sokcho.

However, those defending the mayor claim that it was a long-planned vacation and there was nothing wrong with it. Others asked how Kim could be expected to have predicted such a huge fire in advance.

The debate has expanded into political circles.

“Mayor Kim returned to the situation room 15 hours after the start of the wildfires that destroyed 162 houses and displaced some 4,000 people,” main opposition Liberty Korea Party spokesman Min Kyung-wook in a statement.

“Public officials have to take the responsibility for the consequences.”

However, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) defended the mayor, saying he should not be criticized for the sake of criticism.

“What was wrong with the Sokcho mayor? He legitimately applied for leave and visited Jeju. Also, he returned to duty as fast as he could,” DPK spokesman Hong Ihk-pyo said.

The mayor belongs to the ruling party.