About 8 billion won for restoring everyday life in wildfire-hit areas; Hope Bridge completes 18 projects

[Financial News] A long-term support project to expand disaster-response facilities and help residents with health care and psychological recovery in areas affected by the 2022 East Coast wildfires has been completed. About 8 billion won was invested across four cities and counties, including Uljin in North Gyeongsang Province and Gangneung, Donghae and Samcheok in Gangwon Province.
Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association said on the 3rd that it ran the “2022 North Gyeongsang-Gangwon Wildfire-Affected Area Recovery Support Project” for 31 months, from March 2024 through September this year. After three rounds of applications, it spent approximately 8.066 billion won on 18 projects.
According to the Korea Forest Service, the wildfire that broke out in Uljin in March 2022 and spread to Samcheok took more than 213 hours to extinguish the main fire. After the wildfire, Hope Bridge conducted preliminary research, developed a long-term recovery plan and carried out projects tailored to local conditions and residents’ needs.
A total of 3.833 billion won, or 47.5% of the overall support funds, went toward expanding disaster-prevention and everyday safety facilities. The association built the Uljin County Disaster Relief Logistics Center and installed wildfire-suppression water-curtain towers in Samcheok. It also installed 20 AI cameras to monitor wildfires and provided 239 pieces of fire-retardant furniture to 154 households with people with disabilities.
The association provided comprehensive health screenings to 3,054 Uljin County residents and released 1.5 million juvenile marine animals, including abalone and sea cucumbers, to help restore the marine ecosystem. It also held an event to revitalize Gangneung’s Okgye Traditional Market and established processing facilities for chopi, an alternative crop intended to provide residents with a source of income.
The association also organized a wind band for children and teenagers, concerts in local communities, village-level horticultural therapy and psychological counseling. Hope Bridge said its project evaluation found that participating residents’ post-traumatic stress index fell, their emotional stability and self-esteem improved, and community bonds grew stronger.
Shin Hoon, secretary-general of Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association, said, “Large-scale disasters such as wildfires require sustained support not only to repair visible damage, but also to help residents regain psychological stability and fully return to their normal lives.” He added, “We will continue to stand alongside them beyond emergency relief, all the way through a healthy recovery.”


[email protected] Jang In-seo Reporter