How the New Citizen Participation Group Will Transform South Korea’s Forestry Policies in 2026

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[JoyNews24 reporter Kim Yang-su] On April 29, the Korea Forest Service, led by Commissioner Park Eun-sik, announced it will form and operate a Public Participation Team to expand public involvement in forestry projects and advance field-centered policy innovation.

The five-member Public Participation Team—composed of representatives from civic organizations, forestry technical experts, and ordinary citizens selected through an open recruitment process—will serve through the end of the year. The team will review project standards and implementation, identify on-site issues and improvement opportunities, and recommend institutional reforms.

Until now, major forestry programs—reforestation, forest tending, logging, forest roads and pine wilt disease control—have been driven primarily by technical expertise and efficiency. However, there have been increasing calls to improve transparency, strengthen public trust, and enhance communication to prevent conflicts.

In response, the Korea Forest Service will introduce a hands-on field monitoring system that enables citizens to inspect forestry projects and identify areas for improvement. The agency plans to revise project standards and procedures based on monitoring findings and to rapidly implement best practices at work sites to increase policy effectiveness.

Yook Geon-su, head of the Forest Policy Innovation Support Unit at the Korea Forest Service, said, “Operating the Public Participation Team will increase transparency and accountability in forestry projects and strengthen communication with the public on sensitive issues such as logging.” He added, “We will continue to pursue visible, tangible reforms in forestry that citizens can experience.”