A fire that started from a vehicle belonging to KDDI's Mongolian subsidiary has scorched grasslands along the border, an area approximately 8.7 times the size of Seoul. The flames threatened to spread to the Chinese border, and allegations have emerged that illegal tourism activities took place in a nature reserve where public access is restricted, causing public outrage in Mongolia.
According to reports from Mongolia's state-run Montsame news agency and China's Xinhua News Agency, the fire broke out on October 8 in the Numrug Strictly Protected Area in Dornod Province, eastern Mongolia. The blaze spread rapidly due to dry weather and strong winds, and it was not contained until October 16, eight days later.
According to Mongolia's disaster management authorities, the affected area is approximately 530,000 hectares (5,300 square kilometers), with 80% of the ecologically valuable Numrug Reserve burned. As the fire spread toward the border, emergency firebreaks were established by firefighters from China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Mongolia's border guards.
The fire originated from vehicles belonging to Mobicom, the leading telecommunications company in Mongolia and a subsidiary of KDDI. Investigations revealed that the fire ignited when dry grass became entangled in the undercarriage of off-road vehicles carrying Japanese executives and local staff as they drove through the reserve.
The Numrug area is a top-tier protected zone where public access is legally prohibited except for academic research. While Mobicom claimed the visit was for a field survey of border communications, local suspicions have arisen that they were engaging in illegal recreational activities such as fishing for the endangered Amur trout and hunting.
In response to the escalating situation, Mobicom's CEO, Yasuhiro Ochi, acknowledged the incident in a video message and apologized. KDDI's headquarters in Japan also expressed its responsibility for the environmental damage. Meanwhile, the Mongolian government has classified the fire as a serious environmental crime and has initiated a joint investigation, planning to seek substantial damages for the full cost of ecosystem restoration and firefighting efforts.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.