Seobu Power, Lighting Taean with Upcycled Old Nets Lamps

Residents of Dangbong Village, Nae 2-ri, Iwon-myeon, Taean-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, are taking a commemorative photo at the village hall before installing upcycled fishing net lamps. (Photo by Korea Western Power)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Korea Western Power announced on the 2nd that it installed lamps made by upcycling discarded fishing nets at Dangbong Observatory on Solhyanggi-gil Trail in Nae2-ri, Iwon-myeon, Taean-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, during the New Year's Sunrise event at Mandae Village on the 1st.

The Dangbong Observatory Solhyanggi-gil Sunrise event has been held nine times since 2012. About 300 people, including Korea Western Power employees, villagers, and tourists, attended the event.

This year, villagers collected and refined abandoned fish traps left on the beach of Mandae Village, Iwon-myeon, Taean-gun. Professor Kang Dongseon of Hanyang Women's University designed lamps made from these materials, which were installed to safely illuminate the path leading up to the observatory.

The discarded fishing net upcycling project transforms abandoned fishing gear such as discarded nets and buoys into value-added products through recycling. Korea Western Power explained that this project is a representative social contribution initiative of the company that not only improves the environment but also creates jobs and additional income for residents.

A villager who has been preparing the sunrise event for nine years said, "We served rice cake soup and injeolmi to those who came to the sunrise event, and the lamps lighting the dark path made the event shine more safely."

A tourist participating in the sunrise event for the first time said, "I felt great to deeply smell the pine scent early in the morning of the Year of the Rat," and added, "Seeing the sunrise from the observatory by following the upcycled fishing net lamps made by Korea Western Power will remain a lifelong memory."

Kim Byungsuk, CEO of Korea Western Power, stated, "Korea Western Power is promoting sustainable social contribution projects that improve local issues while contributing to local job creation," and added, "We plan to continue supporting sustainable rural fishing villages by collaborating with social economy organizations in the process of solving local problems."

This year as well, Korea Western Power plans to collaborate with local governments to strengthen village infrastructure and promote qualitative growth of village communities to ensure continuous development of rural fishing villages.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.