POSCO E&C Hosts Children's Honeybee Festival in Celebration of 'World Bee Day'

POSCO E&C announced on the 21st that it held the children's bee festival "Happy Bees Day" at Songdo Central Park in Incheon on the 20th to celebrate World Bee Day. About 3,000 children and families gathered at the event, making it a great success.

POSCO E&C held the children's bee festival "Happy Bees Day" at Central Park in Songdo, Incheon on the 20th to celebrate World Bee Day.
[Photo by POSCO E&C]

The event was organized by POSCO E&C in collaboration with Konkuk University, Incheon Facilities Corporation, and Yeonsu-gu Volunteer Center to raise awareness of the serious decline in bee populations and to widely promote the importance of enhancing ecological sensitivity among future generations and preserving biodiversity.

Bees are pollinators for 71% of the world's top 100 crops. Although beneficial insects for human food and survival, their populations have been rapidly declining due to climate change, food shortages, and other factors, with tens of billions disappearing recently in South Korea alone.

Amid serious concerns about natural ecosystems, POSCO E&C has been promoting an urban beekeeping project as one of its flagship "Corporate Citizenship" initiatives since last year to conserve biodiversity.

In particular, urban apiaries, wild bee hives in apartments, and bee gardens have been established at Dalbit Park in Songdo, Incheon, and the National Gwacheon Science Museum to produce natural honey and eco-friendly soap while delivering messages about bee protection. Various urban beekeeping activities have also been carried out, including bee experience programs and biodiversity education targeting future generations.

At the event the day before, children participated in "bee experience education" to easily learn and understand about bees and nectar plants. Various performances such as an environmental magic show and biodiversity quiz show were held for the whole family to enjoy together.

A POSCO E&C official said, "Where bees cannot live, neither can people." He added, "Through the children's bee festival and urban beekeeping projects, we aim to create sustainable cities where nature and people coexist, and we hope more companies will join biodiversity conservation efforts."