Sangui ERT to Hold Urban Forest Tree Planting Event on the 18th
New Vice Chairman Park Il-jun Participates... "Expanding Carbon Sinks"
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry's New Entrepreneurship Council (ERT) announced on the 18th that it held the 'ERT Urban Forest Tree Planting' event at Onsu Park District 2 in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. The event was conducted as part of a New Entrepreneurship practice project aimed at expanding the social role of corporations.
At the opening ceremony of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) ERT (Entrepreneurship Round Table) Members Day event held at the KCCI on January 25, Choi Tae-won, Chairman of the KCCI, delivers a speech. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@
The event was attended by Park Il-jun, the newly appointed full-time vice chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kwon Oh-sung, chairman of the Seoul Economic Committee of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (chairman of the Yangcheon-gu Chamber of Commerce), Lee Chang-hwan, chairman of the Jung-gu Chamber of Commerce, Kim Eun-bok, chairman of the Eunpyeong-gu Chamber of Commerce, and other representatives of ERT member companies in Seoul, as well as Lim Sang-seop, deputy director of the Korea Forest Service.
Before planting trees, the attendees shared time discussing the importance and significance of creating urban forests as a nature-based solution to respond to climate change. Urban forests refer to tree areas created and managed under the Urban Forest Act. They account for 20% of Korea’s forests.
Vice Chairman Park said in his greeting, "Urban forest tree planting is one of the important solutions to address the social issue of the climate crisis," adding, "Recently, many companies have been engaging in urban forest creation activities to establish pleasant living environments and expand carbon sinks."
Deputy Director Lim stated, "There are limitations to expanding urban forests with land acquisition and budgets from the government and local governments," and added, "If companies support the creation of urban forests on lands where urban forests have not been established for a long time, it will be an opportunity to expand the urban greening movement."
Park Il-jun, Executive Vice President of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (fourth from the left in the second row), and Lim Sang-seop, Deputy Administrator of the Korea Forest Service (third from the left in the second row), are taking a commemorative photo with participants at the "New Entrepreneurship Council Urban Forest Tree Planting" event held on the 18th. [Photo by Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry]
The site of Onsu Park District 2, where the event took place, is a location that has not been developed as a park for a long time and is at risk of losing its designation as an urban park. Recently, urban forest creation has been progressing through cooperation with local governments and sponsorship from companies and citizens.
The area of land designated as parks but facing sunset risk due to lack of project implementation, like Onsu Park District 2, was approximately 114.9 square kilometers as of 2020 in Seoul (about 40 times the size of Yeouido).
Through about an hour and a half of tree planting activities, the attendees planted around 10 trees, including Cornus officinalis and wild cherry trees approximately 2.5 meters tall. The ERT Secretariat signed an 'Annual Sponsorship Agreement for Urban Forest Creation' with Life Forest and delivered sponsorship funds.
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