Wildfires spread across a mountain in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday night, as the blaze continued for the second day. Yonhap

Korea has experienced significant damage from around 50 simultaneous wildfires across the country, prompting growing calls for improved preparedness and prevention in response to the rise of extreme fire events globally due to climate change.

As of Monday, over 8,700 hectares of forest, equivalent to 12,300 football fields, were damaged nationwide by wildfires that broke out over the weekend, according to the Korea Forest Service.

The fires caused at least four deaths and forced more than 2,700 residents to evacuate, mostly in southeastern regions of the country and over 6,500 personnel have been deployed in firefighting operations.

The first and most serious wildfire, which started on Friday in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province, was 70 percent contained as of Monday following overnight firefighting efforts involving over 2,500 personnel.

Uiseong in North Gyeongsang Province, where large-scale wildfires broke out on Saturday and caused the most extensive damage, has had about 65 percent of the fire extinguished with the efforts of 2,602 personnel.

The government designated Uiseong, Ulju and Hadong as special disaster zones and ordered the mass mobilization of personnel and equipment, issue evacuation orders and provide financial support to residents impacted by the wildfires.

According to the Korea Forest Service, the nation has witnessed a growing number of wildfire incidents, resulting in a five-fold increase in the damaged area from 2015 to 2024, with accumulated damage reaching 403,317 hectares.

This trend comes amid a global increase in extreme wildfire activity, which has more than doubled worldwide over the past 20 years, becoming more frequent, intense and larger in scale, according to NASA.

A wildfire rages in New Jersey's Wharton State Forest on Saturday. AP-Yonhap

Even the Arctic and other regions previously unaffected face elevated risks of wildfires, according to a 2022 report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

By the end of the century, the world will face a 50 percent increase in extreme fires fueled by increased drought, high air temperatures, low relative humidity, lightning and strong winds resulting from climate change, which lead to hotter, drier and longer fire seasons, the report said.

Similarly, Korea's affected regions have experienced a notably dry spring this year, with reduced precipitation, higher temperatures and stronger winds, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.

Under such circumstances, forest fires, which often break out either accidentally or through natural causes, can spread uncontrollably and intensify more rapidly.

Researchers have found that climate change fuels larger wildfires, and both make each other worse.

A report by the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) published last May warns that springtime wildfires, which once typically broke out in April in the eastern mountainous Gangwon Province, are now affecting the entire country due to abnormally high winter temperatures and increased dryness caused by climate change.

In the past, large-scale wildfires typically occurred on the eastern coast of Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces from March to April. However, in recent years, they have spread to the South Gyeongsang, Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces.

Korea Forest Service workers put out wildfires in Ulju County, Ulsan, Monday, as the blaze continued for the third day. Yonhap

Against this backdrop, calls have increased among municipalities and experts to implement strict countermeasures against wildfires, which are expected to continue growing on an unprecedented scale.

Lee Chul-woo, governor of North Gyeongsang Province, which has been most affected by the wildfires, requested the government on Sunday to introduce advanced equipment and countermeasures and secure the necessary budget.

Also, the UNEP report called on governments worldwide for a combination of data and science-based monitoring systems with indigenous knowledge and for stronger regional and international cooperation.

"Current government responses to wildfires are often putting money in the wrong place. Those emergency service workers and firefighters on the frontlines who are risking their lives to fight forest wildfires need to be supported," said Inger Andersen, UNEP executive director.

"We have to minimize the risk of extreme wildfires by being better prepared: invest more in fire risk reduction, work with local communities, and strengthen global commitment to fight climate change."