Governor Kim Youngrok Pledges Cooperation with Professional Forestry Organizations

On-site Communication Meeting Held in Gangjin
Joint Efforts to Improve Income

Jeonnam Governor Kim Youngrok attends the 'Forestry Successors Provincial Government Meeting' held at Gangjin Chodang Forest on the 24th and takes a commemorative photo with officials. Photo by Jeonnam Province

On July 24, Kim Youngrok, Governor of Jeollanam-do, held a communication meeting with professional forestry organizations at Chodangrim in Gangjin to listen to voices from the field and discuss mutual cooperation measures for the future development of forestry in Jeollanam-do.

The meeting was attended by Cho Kyutak, head of the Gwangju-Jeonnam branch of the Korea Forest Management Association; Park Youngsoo, head of the Jeonnam Leading Forestry Association; Ji Yonggu, head of the Jeonnam Arboretum and Garden Association; Kim Donggeun, head of the Gwangju-Jeonnam branch of the Korea Professional Foresters Association; as well as the heads of the Korea Professional Foresters Association from 21 cities and counties.

Moon Junho, a young forester and head of the Gurye County Council of the Korea Professional Foresters Association, requested policy support to help local young foresters establish a stable income base during the initial settlement period. Choi Jaehwan, head of the Jangheung County Council of the Korea Professional Foresters Association, proposed the inclusion of Jangheung open-field shiitake mushrooms in crop disaster insurance and the adjustment of disaster recovery costs to reflect reality.

Other topics discussed included the inclusion of public-interest forest land as eligible for forestry direct payments, the expansion of training programs for garden managers in Jeollanam-do, and the expansion of nectar tree planting to revitalize the beekeeping industry in response to abnormal climate conditions, covering a wide range of forestry industry issues.

Kim Donggeun, head of the Gwangju-Jeonnam branch, said, "Thank you for your interest in local foresters and for providing various policies such as expanding forestry direct payments, distributing newspapers for foresters, selecting and promoting the Forester of the Month, and supporting information sharing and pride-building, all of which help establish a stable income base for foresters."

The heads of professional forestry organizations who participated in the meeting pledged to fulfill their roles for the development of forestry in Jeollanam-do, to represent the voices of foresters, and to strengthen policy cooperation and work to improve foresters' incomes for sustainable forestry development.

Governor Kim emphasized, "I am grateful to the foresters who are opening an era of 1 trillion won in forestry product production despite various difficult conditions such as changes in forest ecosystems due to the recent climate crisis and an aging population. We will reflect the voices of foresters to develop practical policies and create a solid foundation for forest management so that young foresters can continue to enter the industry."