KUWAIT: The Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the State of Kuwait and the Korean Community in Kuwait co-organized, in cooperation with the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), a tree planting event titled "Go Green Kuwait" at KOC's Al-Abdaliya Nature Preserve on November 12, 2022.

It was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the State of Kuwait Chung Byung-ha, President of the Korean Community Association in Kuwait JeongSeong-hee and the Kuwait branch manager of the Korean Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC) JeongHyunsik along with a number of KOC volunteers, including the Chief Public Relations Officer Fahad Ebrahim and the Public Relations Officer Mai Ben Redha.

Ambassador Chung Byung-ha, said that the environmental issues are not a matter that only determines the quality of life of local residents, but also threatens the survival and welfare of mankind across national borders, thus requiring strengthened international cooperation and a joint response. "I believe this event will not be a one-time event this year, but a recurring activity every year, reflecting the efforts and contributions of the Korean communities in making Kuwait a more sustainable society," the Ambassador added.

For his part, President of the Korean Community Association, JeongSeong-hee, said he was immensely proud of the active participation of the Korean communities in this environmental campaign aimed at enhancing the sense of belonging to the local community and playing an active role as a member in it.

The Kuwait Branch of PUAC, one of the co-host of this volunteer activity made use of this opportunity to revive the aspirations of Koreans in Kuwait for peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula and raise awareness of their importance.  The event also saw an active the participation of members of Green Hands (an environmental group in Kuwait), and members of Roots and Shoots (High School Environmental Conservation Club of the American School of Kuwait).

Leader of the Club Seo Hyun Kang, that the club members are taking part in such an event for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. She underscored that this event provides a valuable hands-on experience for the club members to put into practice things they learned in the classes.

The "Go Green Kuwait" campaign aims at restoring the ecological resilience by planting tree species that can survive even in the water-scared hot desert, and cope with the serious crisis caused by climate change. Planting trees is widely recognized as an effective countermeasure against climate change. According to the Korea Forest Service, a tree absorbs 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide and 35.9g of fine dust, and emitting 1.8 tons of oxygen per year. In addition, tree planting is renowned for its countless benefits in terms of economic and psychological aspects as well as environmental improvements.

The KOC, which patronizes this event, started planting 20,000 trees on an area of 1.2 million square meters in the first phase from 2011, and then expanded the tree planting target area to 1.8 million square meters in the second phase and 800 square meters in the third phase, leading environmental campaigns under the cooperation with various organizations in Kuwait.