Diagnosing South Korea’s Wildfire Management Technology Using a Hierarchical Analysis Framework: Focused on Technology Comparison among Leading Countries and In-Depth Interviews with Field Experts

초록

The increasing frequency of extreme weather conditions driven by climate change has elevated the advancement of wildfire response technologies to a national priority. This study analyzes the current status of South Korea’s wildfire management technology from a technical perspective and, by comparing it with technology adoption cases in major developed countries—namely the United States, Canada, the European Union (EU), Australia, and Japan—aims to identify strengths and areas for improvement in Korea’s wildfire management system. The comparative analysis employed a four-layer technological framework consisting of: (1) satellite-based technologies, (2) drones and robots, (3) ground sensors and cameras, and (4) AI, prediction, and digital twins. In-depth interviews were also conducted with 40 wildfire field experts to collect and analyze field-centered technical improvement needs. The findings indicate that South Korea has high technological maturity in ICT platforms, AI-based ground monitoring, and predictive modeling; however, technological gaps with leading nations remain of wildfire-dedicated satellites and nationwide integrated operation of autonomous and swarm drone and robot systems. In-depth interviews with field experts identified limited accessibility in mountainous terrain and confusion in communication among response agencies as key constraints. Based on these findings, this study proposes five policy directions: establishing an integrated public-private satellite data service, building a nationwide wildfire detection sensor and AI camera-drone integrated operation system, developing a Korea-type wildfire digital twin, formulating a pre- and early-stage wildfire proactive response strategy, and expanding mountainous terrain-specialized robotic operations. The results are expected to provide directional guidance for advancing South Korea’s wildfire management technological framework in an evolving disaster environment and to lay the groundwork for future international cooperation and technology export.

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