The Korea Forest Service announced that, in cooperation with France and the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO), it will conduct the 2nd Training of Trainers for Forest Fire Suppression (TOTFFS) in *Peatland in Jakarta and Sumatra, Indonesia, from April 13 to 24.
*Peatland refers to land with a naturally accumulated layer of peat ― partially decomposed organic material formed under waterlogged conditions.

The opening ceremony was held at Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry in Jakarta. Congratulatory remarks were delivered by Yoon Soongu, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Indonesia; Rohmat Marzuki, Vice Minister of Forestry of Indonesia; as well as representatives from the Embassy of France in Indonesia, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the AFoCO Secretariat.

The attendance of senior officials from the Republic of Korea, France, and Indonesia marked a new level of cooperation on forest fire management among the three countries, following the Korea-Indonesia summit on April 1 and the Korea-France summit on April 2 with the President of the Republic of Korea. It also highlighted the importance of international cooperation in addressing the climate crisis and broader global engagement to strengthen forest fire response capacity across Asia.

26 forestry officials and experts from seven Asian countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Cambodia, will participate in the program. Forest fire specialists from the Republic of Korea and France will serve as instructors.

The two-week program will consist of classroom instruction during the first week at IPB University in Jakarta, followed by field-based practical training during the second week at the Korea-Indonesia Forest Fire Disaster Management Center in South Sumatra. Through the program, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of peatland forest fires and relevant response techniques.

PARK Eunsik, Minister of the Korea Forest Service, said, “I hope this flagship initiative, based on the Letter of Intent on forest fire cooperation signed following the Korea-France summit, will develop into a sustainable framework for cooperation on forest fire management.”