[Asia Exclusive] A Mild-Mannered Debut Poet... One of the Few Internal Promotions as Forest Service Chief

Forest Service Chief Choi Byung-am introduces his perspective on his works as a debut poet in an interview with this publication. Photo by Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Choi Byeong-am, the Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service (pictured), is a poet who debuted in the literary world through forest literature in 2010.

He is also well known for dedicating poems to colleagues and juniors with whom he shared hardships and joys at the Korea Forest Service. When colleagues left their positions due to promotions or retirement after working in the same department, he expressed his regrets about parting and wished them success through poetry.

For Commissioner Choi, poetry is also a process of discovering the cultural and humanities values inherent in forests and sublimating them into literary works.

He does not see forests merely as natural entities in their original form but observes them as subjects containing literary value, aiming through his works to inform the public about the cultural and spiritual values embedded in our forests. This has been the foundation of his creative activities.

Choi has written roughly over 100 poems to date. In 2018, he compiled his poems and published a poetry collection titled "A Forest Keeper's Dream, Like a Tree."

His endeavors have also led to internal evaluations recognizing him as a leader who adds sensitivity to bureaucratic organizational culture and fosters a family-like workplace atmosphere.

Within the Korea Forest Service, Choi is counted among the few who have risen to the positions of Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner through internal promotion.

In fact, only six individuals, from the first Commissioner Kim Young-jin (1967?1971) to the current 33rd Commissioner, have been appointed Commissioner through internal promotion.

Moreover, it is considered an exceptional case that he was consecutively promoted internally from Deputy Commissioner to Commissioner, following his predecessor.

Over the past 30 years leading up to his appointment as Commissioner, Choi has built his expertise as a forest administration specialist by serving in key positions such as Director of Forest Policy Division, Director of Forest Utilization Bureau, Director of Forest Protection Bureau, and Director of Forest Welfare Bureau.

Notably, while serving as Director of Forest Policy Division, he played a role in enacting the Carbon Sink Act and introducing the Forest Carbon Offset System, which are recent issues related to carbon neutrality. During his tenure as Director of Forest Utilization Bureau, he expanded customized services tailored to different life cycles, establishing a welfare foundation for the public through forests.

Additionally, as Planning and Coordination Officer, he reportedly played a significant role in securing budgets for fine dust response for public safety, urban forest creation, forest policy funds for forestry workers, and forest tending.

Currently, as Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, he is focusing on discovering and newly highlighting the value of forest cultural assets embedded in our forests one by one.

Commissioner Choi stated, "There are several goals I want to achieve during my term, but among them, I want to focus on ensuring that the diverse and valuable functions of forests are fully sustained and maintained from the current generation to future generations. I will strengthen forest management so that forests are used valuably for the public and serve as a mediator that enhances the public interest and satisfaction of stakeholders such as forestry workers."

Profile of Choi Byeong-am, Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service

▲ Born in 1966 ▲ Gwangseong High School, Incheon ▲ Bachelor of Law, Chung-Ang University ▲ Master of Public Administration, Inha University ▲ Master of Ecological Economics, University of Leeds, UK ▲ Passed the 36th Administrative Examination ▲ Director of Forest Protection Bureau, Korea Forest Service ▲ Director of Forest Welfare Bureau, Korea Forest Service ▲ Planning and Coordination Officer, Korea Forest Service ▲ Deputy Commissioner, Korea Forest Service

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