Yeongil District in Pohang Revisited as a Global Model for Forest Reforestation Success... Breakfast Forum with Professor Kyungjun Lee

Highlighting the Historical Significance of UNESCO Documentary Heritage Registration and the Yeongil District Watershed Project
Plaque of Appreciation Presented to Professor Lee for Contributions to Promoting Forest Greening in the Yeongil Area

On the 19th, Pohang City held a breakfast forum in the main conference room at City Hall, attended by about 100 senior officials. Professor Kyungjun Lee, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University, was invited to speak on the topic "The Historical Significance of Forest Reforestation UNESCO Documentary Heritage Registration and the Yeongil District Watershed Project."

On the 19th, Pohang City held a breakfast forum at City Hall for senior officials, inviting Professor Kyungjun Lee, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University, to speak on the topic "The Historical Significance of Forest Reforestation UNESCO World Heritage Registration and the Yeongil District Watershed Project." Photo by Pohang City

This forum was organized to highlight the historical value of the Yeongil District in Pohang, which served as an early pilot site for forest reforestation in Korea, and to reaffirm local pride in the achievements of forest restoration.

Professor Kyungjun Lee, who gave the lecture, is an authority in the field of forestry who has led the planning and implementation of Korea's forest reforestation policies and established the scientific foundation for the Korean model of forest restoration.

He is currently serving as the chairperson of the committee promoting the registration of forest reforestation as a UNESCO Memory of the World, and is also at the forefront of spreading international recognition of related records.

In his lecture, Professor Lee revisited the process by which Korea's postwar devastated forests were transformed into lush woodlands within a few decades, emphasizing that the Yeongil District watershed project in Pohang served as both the starting point and a successful model for the nation's forest policy.

He explained that the watershed project carried out in the Yeongil District in the 1960s and 1970s went beyond simply planting trees. It was a comprehensive environmental restoration project aimed at preventing landslides and soil erosion, stabilizing local livelihoods, and contributing to national reconstruction and community recovery. This project became a pivotal turning point that shaped the direction of national forest reforestation policies.

Professor Lee stated, "The Yeongil District in Pohang was the nation's first pilot site for watershed projects and became the model for Korea's forest reforestation. It also offers significant lessons for responding to today's climate crisis. The fact that the achievements of forest reforestation have been internationally recognized and registered as a UNESCO Memory of the World is a source of pride for both Korea and Pohang City."

After the breakfast forum, Mayor Kangdeok Lee presented Professor Kyungjun Lee with a plaque of appreciation for his contributions to promoting forest greening in the Yeongil area and for his efforts in registering it as a UNESCO Memory of the World.

Mayor Kangdeok Lee of Pohang presented a plaque of appreciation to Professor Kyungjun Lee for his contributions to promoting forest greening in the Yeongil area and for his efforts in registering it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Photo by Pohang City

Mayor Lee stated, "Forest reforestation is not merely a restoration of nature, but a history created collectively by all citizens, and it is a source of pride that the starting point was the Yeongil District in Pohang. We will continue to strive for a sustainable city where environment, history, and community are harmoniously integrated."

Records related to Korea's forest reforestation were officially registered as a UNESCO Memory of the World in April. Among these, the Yeongil District watershed project in Pohang is recognized as a representative success story and has become an important milestone in showcasing the global achievements of forest reforestation.