The sixth International Wildland Fire Conference, which opens Monday in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, will launch a youth program for university students to present their thesis, said the director general of the International Affairs Bureau at the Korea Forest Service.

“We set up a thesis presentation platform to encourage undergraduates and graduate students studying fire to attend the conference, as well as present their thesis on fire-related legacies, local communities and a combined strategy to manage wildland fires and in order to foster talent in the area,” Kim Yong-kwan added.

All 34 presentations will be held in English, with the four best teams nominated and awarded at the last day of the conference on Oct. 16.

The youth presentations will be held on top of the conference’s plenary sessions, with five keynote speeches that invite fire authorities from Korea and abroad -- including the head of the Global Fire Monitoring Center as well as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations -- to discuss multiple wildfire-related topics and share their research with each other.



The KFS’ exhibition booths also feature educational programs for children regarding fire safety, offering a helicopter simulator, futuristic fire suppression simulator and a fire suppression robot, among others.

The conference will also provide a field study tour of fire-damaged areas and restoration sites in Gangwon Province to bring awareness about fire damage and present technology for restoring areas to their original state.

“We will also introduce tourist attractions near the restoration sites,” he said, adding that it would allow participants to experience Korea’s scenic autumn atmosphere.

Kim said the conference will have an English-language simulated field demonstration on fire suppression on Oct. 14, a first for the Korea Forest Service.

“(Korea Forest Service) will show a suppression simulation for 70 minutes where the virtual fire becomes worse before being put out. As an international conference, the entire process will be in English with Korean subtitles on screens installed outdoors,” he said.

Over 25 organizations such as the Ministry of Public Safety and Security and Korea National Police Agency as well as 800 participants are expected to attend the field demonstration.

By Sang Youn-joo and Lee Kwon-hyung (sangyj@heraldcorp.com) (kwonhl@heraldcorp.com)