By Bernard Rowan
South Korea is now a green space to envy. I've read forests cover about 60 percent of Korea's land! A cursory look at a few Korean websites reveals dozens of distinctive and widely known forests that beautify the land. They provide support for a healthier environment and create the basis for multiple industries. They improve the quality of life for millions of Koreans and visitors.
Have you visited Jelmul on Jeju, Bucheon's ecology park, Yongin Forest, or Joongmisan in Yangpeyong? These are just a few of Korea's natural and cultivated treasures of forests. They house species of flora and fauna, beautiful animals and birds, and all manner of ecological oases for us all.
One of my favorites is Daehan Dawon tea forest in Boseong, South Jeolla Province. It lies close to Mt. Hwangseong. I once visited with friends and marveled at the place, with its forest of wonderful, fragrant, and delicious green tea leaves. Each Korean forests offer a world of discovery and appreciation. Each also supports the local, regional, and national economy with its contribution to a cleaner Korea and a cleaner world. Boseong Tea accounts for about one-third of Korea's regional tea production, according to Wikipedia. A tea festival occurs each year in Boseong during May.
Of late, too many casually criticize the house of Park. Park Geun-hye is the disgraced former president. Her father has passed but stands synonymous with authoritarian rule. I think some of this is a bad rap, in no small part because of Korea's forests.
Over 70 years and several national forestry plans, millions of hectares exist as a long-term investment in the healthy environment of South Korea. No matter one's destination, it's easy to find a forest to enjoy in South Korea ― usually near a beautiful mountain. Hiking, camping, and nature watching, all exist in profusion. They form a welcome basis for therapy and contemplation amid the busy world of today.
Park Chung-hee is responsible for today's vibrant Korean ecology of forests. During his administration, despite the barren Korean landscape, scarred by the abuses of war and overuse, he made it a priority to grow forests. He ordered, directed, subsidized, and imposed plans to create new forests and to reforest significant tracts of the country. Laws punished those who violated these initiatives or took products beyond allowable amounts. Rachel Rivera, writing in a 2011 Forest News article, discussed how shifting to coal for energy and urbanization plans also dovetailed to benefit the growth of Korea's forests.
We must judge Park Geun-hye and her father's actions according to their merits. Judicial proceedings must occur by the law of the land. Yet, there's no doubt Park Chung-hee was a great leader for ecology. His investment in and insistence on the priority of Korea's forests shows the mark of any great leader: "Think simple and think big." Just as Park vitalized all manner of South Korean infrastructure, it was his vision, and those of his contemporaries and allies, that made the green economy of South Korea possible. To have a reasonable view of any leader, we must respect his or her mortality and humanity, and we must credit the leader with proper successes, not just failures and failings.
We also should not wax romantic about Korea's forests. They need constant protection and vigilance to free rider problems. Witness the recent controversy over Mount Gariwang and the PyeongChang Olympics. In South Korea, humans and nature achieve greater balance due to past investments. Few other places have the same environmental health.
I enjoyed reading about the fir forest called Woljeongsa near the temple of the same name. It's featured in a popular drama "Goblin" these days. I'd like to visit its 600-year-old tree.
Korea's forests are a universe of beauty. Their life also stands as a marvel of human construction and protection. Among the lesser known reasons for the Miracle on the Han River is the South Korean model of forestation in the 20th century. Many countries need to follow Korea's example moving forward.
Bernard Rowan is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University. Reach him at browan10@yahoo.com
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Have you visited Jelmul on Jeju, Bucheon's ecology park, Yongin Forest, or Joongmisan in Yangpeyong? These are just a few of Korea's natural and cultivated treasures of forests. They house species of flora and fauna, beautiful animals and birds, and all manner of ecological oases for us all.
One of my favorites is Daehan Dawon tea forest in Boseong, South Jeolla Province. It lies close to Mt. Hwangseong. I once visited with friends and marveled at the place, with its forest of wonderful, fragrant, and delicious green tea leaves. Each Korean forests offer a world of discovery and appreciation. Each also supports the local, regional, and national economy with its contribution to a cleaner Korea and a cleaner world. Boseong Tea accounts for about one-third of Korea's regional tea production, according to Wikipedia. A tea festival occurs each year in Boseong during May.
Of late, too many casually criticize the house of Park. Park Geun-hye is the disgraced former president. Her father has passed but stands synonymous with authoritarian rule. I think some of this is a bad rap, in no small part because of Korea's forests.
Over 70 years and several national forestry plans, millions of hectares exist as a long-term investment in the healthy environment of South Korea. No matter one's destination, it's easy to find a forest to enjoy in South Korea ― usually near a beautiful mountain. Hiking, camping, and nature watching, all exist in profusion. They form a welcome basis for therapy and contemplation amid the busy world of today.
Park Chung-hee is responsible for today's vibrant Korean ecology of forests. During his administration, despite the barren Korean landscape, scarred by the abuses of war and overuse, he made it a priority to grow forests. He ordered, directed, subsidized, and imposed plans to create new forests and to reforest significant tracts of the country. Laws punished those who violated these initiatives or took products beyond allowable amounts. Rachel Rivera, writing in a 2011 Forest News article, discussed how shifting to coal for energy and urbanization plans also dovetailed to benefit the growth of Korea's forests.
We must judge Park Geun-hye and her father's actions according to their merits. Judicial proceedings must occur by the law of the land. Yet, there's no doubt Park Chung-hee was a great leader for ecology. His investment in and insistence on the priority of Korea's forests shows the mark of any great leader: "Think simple and think big." Just as Park vitalized all manner of South Korean infrastructure, it was his vision, and those of his contemporaries and allies, that made the green economy of South Korea possible. To have a reasonable view of any leader, we must respect his or her mortality and humanity, and we must credit the leader with proper successes, not just failures and failings.
We also should not wax romantic about Korea's forests. They need constant protection and vigilance to free rider problems. Witness the recent controversy over Mount Gariwang and the PyeongChang Olympics. In South Korea, humans and nature achieve greater balance due to past investments. Few other places have the same environmental health.
I enjoyed reading about the fir forest called Woljeongsa near the temple of the same name. It's featured in a popular drama "Goblin" these days. I'd like to visit its 600-year-old tree.
Korea's forests are a universe of beauty. Their life also stands as a marvel of human construction and protection. Among the lesser known reasons for the Miracle on the Han River is the South Korean model of forestation in the 20th century. Many countries need to follow Korea's example moving forward.
Bernard Rowan is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University. Reach him at browan10@yahoo.com
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