President Moon: "Respect and Gratitude to Those Honored for Solving Marine Litter"

SNS Message on 'International Coastal Cleanup Day'... "Hoping Future Generations Fully Embrace Clean Oceans"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] President Moon Jae-in, on the 15th, in celebration of the 'International Coastal Cleanup Day,' conveyed through a social networking service (SNS) message, "I extend my gratitude to everyone who has joined in marine environmental conservation, and I express my respect to the honorees receiving commendations today for their contributions to solving marine litter."

Regarding International Coastal Cleanup Day, President Moon explained, "Since the first marine conservation effort in Texas, USA, in 1986, around 500,000 people from about 100 countries participate annually around the third Saturday of September, and our country has been participating since 2001."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon emphasized, "It takes 450 years for plastics, which are used briefly and discarded, to decompose. Microplastics threaten not only marine life but also our health. Fortunately, the concentration of microplastics along our country's coasts does not appear to affect marine life, but we cannot be complacent."

President Moon stated, "The government is distributing eco-friendly fishing gear and expanding dedicated vessels and facilities for collecting and processing marine litter. Alongside this, technology development for efficient recycling of marine litter is underway, aiming to reduce domestic marine plastic waste by 60% by 2030 and to achieve zero by 2050."

President Moon said, "Reducing plastic usage and each small act of picking up trash on the beach will collectively make the vast sea of life stir. Like the slogan 'Greeting the Sea,' I hope that we and future generations will fully welcome a clean sea."

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