Kim Dong-yeon "Actively Supports and Cheers for Climate Lawsuit by 62 Children"

Text and photo posted by Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, on his SNS on the 22nd

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon expressed strong support and encouragement on the 21st for the climate lawsuit filed by the ‘Baby Climate Lawsuit’ plaintiffs, a group of 62 children including infants, stating that "the government's greenhouse gas reduction targets under the Carbon Neutrality Basic Act are insufficient and violate the rights to life, environment, and intergenerational equality, making them unconstitutional."

On the 22nd, Governor Kim shared on his social media service (SNS) a part of the speech delivered by Han Je-a (12), a sixth-grade elementary school student who stood at the podium of the Constitutional Court’s Grand Bench on the 21st as a representative of the Baby Climate Lawsuit plaintiffs.

"Most adults think children do not understand the world well. They emphasize our childhood to make us listen to adults, but when it comes to important responsibilities like solving the climate crisis, they seem to avoid answering and perhaps are passing the burden onto us, the future adults. That is why I am here today. We know more than you think, and even at this moment, we are growing and experiencing things."

Governor Kim promised, "I will actively support and cheer on the Baby Climate Lawsuit group, who are taking action right now ‘to protect the things they love.’"

Meanwhile, Han Je-a participated in the Baby Climate Lawsuit plaintiffs group, consisting of 62 children including infants, when she was in the fourth grade in 2022. She stood at the Grand Bench of the Constitutional Court as a plaintiff in the climate lawsuit hearing held that day. Han mentioned her two-year-old cousin, Ayoon, saying, "I feel a sense of responsibility for the future my younger sibling will face."

She also appealed, "It is absolutely unfair to ask us to solve such a huge problem as climate change. If the future becomes worse than now, we may have to give up all the dreams we have." She expressed concern, saying, "If we do not act immediately, the things we love will disappear."