Korea National Park Service tightens autumn patrols to curb illegal acts

The Korea National Park Service said Friday it will deploy additional on-site management personnel across national parks from Sept. 21 to Nov. 30 to strictly control illegal and disorderly conduct during the peak autumn foliage season.

With 10.21 million visitors, or about 24 percent of the annual total, flocking to parks in October and November last year, the environment ministry cited a high risk for environmental damage such as unauthorized trail access, illicit camping and smoking.

To address these concerns, the service plans to flexibly operate patrol and enforcement activities based on foliage timing and visitor concentration at each park. Key targets include entering prohibited areas like side trails, cooking or camping in undesignated spots, smoking within park boundaries, drinking alcohol outside designated shelters or summits, and illegally harvesting natural resources.

Authorities will also conduct intensive inspections to prevent illegal commercial activities near rivers and valleys, focusing on high-risk zones such as park entrances and previously remediated areas. Violators caught engaging in illegal commerce will face fines under the Natural Parks Act without prior warnings.

This push follows a comprehensive survey launched in March that identified 432 illegal structures along waterways, of which 395 have already been rectified, representing 91.4 percent of the total. Ecological recovery is visible in cleaned zones, with endangered species such as martens and goshawks returning to prayer sites in Palgongsan National Park after illegal facilities were removed.

"Autumn is the season when many people visit national parks to enjoy beautiful foliage, so the concentration of visitors in specific places increases the risk of natural environment damage," said Joo Dae-young, president of the Korea National Park Service. "We will continuously inspect to ensure illegal facilities are not reinstalled after remediation and thoroughly manage illegal commercial acts around streams and rivers."