Park Hwanhee, Chairperson, Attends Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail Plogging Event

Assemblyman Park Hwan-hee Attends the 2nd 2023 Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail Plogging Event to Preserve the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Joseon Royal Tombs Taereung Yeonji (Wetland)

Hosted by Seoul City to Protect Taereung Yeonji (Wetland), a Buffer Zone of the World Cultural Heritage and Habitat of Natural Monuments, from Apartment Development

Park Hwan-hee, Chair of the Operations Committee of the Seoul Metropolitan Council (People Power Party, Nowon 2), attended the ‘2023 2nd Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail Plogging Walking Event’ held at Gongneung-dong Neighborhood Park - Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail - Taereung Yeonji on the morning of the 17th, together with students and citizens.

The Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail plogging event is hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to raise public awareness and preserve culture and the environment, as the Taegangneung Royal Tombs, registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, and the Yeonji (蓮池) wetland, a biodiversity hotspot, face the threat of destruction due to large-scale apartment complex development.

This event is divided into the Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail plogging competition, an environmental conservation UCC contest, and a walking forum.

First, the plogging competition consists of six sessions from May to November, focusing on picking up trash around the Taegangneung Royal Tombs, a World Cultural Heritage site, and the Yeonji (wetland), which is home to natural monuments.

Next, the UCC contest aims to raise awareness of environmental conservation by selecting outstanding UCCs and awarding prizes such as the Superintendent’s Award and the Seoul Metropolitan Council Chairman’s Award.

Finally, a walking forum will be held alongside the 5th plogging event, and any citizens who love plogging and are interested in environmental conservation are welcome to participate.

Chairman Park Hwan-hee stated, “Yeonji (蓮池), which serves as a ‘sponge’ to mitigate threats such as earthquakes and landslides to Taegangneung, could be damaged by apartment development, undermining the UNESCO-recognized ‘Outstanding Universal Value’ (OUV). If this happens, the 40 Joseon Royal Tombs, a serial heritage, could be classified as at-risk assets and potentially delisted. We must be vigilant.” He added, “I will continue to strive so that the plogging events and environmental conservation UCC contests held at the Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail and Taereung Yeonji can serve as guardians for the preservation of the World Cultural Heritage.”

According to a World Cultural Heritage expert, “Among over 1,000 World Heritage sites to date, only three have been delisted: the UK’s ‘Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City,’ Germany’s ‘Dresden Elbe Valley,’ and Oman’s ‘Arabian Oryx Sanctuary.’ In all cases, the promises made at the time of designation were not fulfilled, and indiscriminate development damaged the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the heritage. Following the ‘Wangneung View Apartment’ incident at Gimpo Jangneung, it is necessary to check the implementation of recommendations made at the time of World Heritage designation and introduce World Heritage impact assessments.”

Since the opening of the council in July, Chairman Park Hwan-hee has been promoting various projects opposing apartment development unilaterally pushed forward by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport ignoring residents’ demands, and preserving the cultural and ecological value of Taereung Yeonji. In May, he commissioned a research project titled ‘Basic Plan for the Protection and Management of the Joseon Royal Tombs World Cultural Heritage in Seoul (Focusing on Conservation Measures for the Taegangneung Area Exposed to Regional Development Pressure)’ and is scheduled to receive the initial report.

◇Chairman Park Hwan-hee’s Taegangneung Preservation Activities: Submitted the 1st Petition Opposing Apartment Development (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport), Submitted a Resolution Urging Measures to Preserve Taereung Yeonji (Cultural Heritage Administration), Requested Wetland Designation for Taereung Yeonji (Seoul City), Conducted Research on Taereung Yeonji, Held a Forum on Introducing World Heritage Impact Assessment, Plogging Event (2022)

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