Gapyeong County Produces 38 Graduates from 1st Forest Academy... First Step in Nurturing Forest Professionals

Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, held the "2025 Gapyeong County Forest Academy 1st Graduation Ceremony" at the Forest Ecological Culture Experience Complex Auditorium on the 25th, producing its first cohort of 38 forest specialists.

Seo Taewon, Gapyeong County Governor, and other attendees are taking a commemorative photo after holding the "2025 Gapyeong County Forest Academy 1st Graduation Ceremony" at the Forest Ecological Culture Experience Complex Auditorium on the 25th. Provided by Gapyeong County

This Forest Academy program drew significant attention, with over 80 applicants vying for 40 available spots in August. Over the past four months, participants attended hands-on, practice-oriented classes every Tuesday, covering topics such as forest management, forestry entrepreneurship, and forest welfare. The inaugural class achieved a 95% completion rate, demonstrating the success of the first year of the program.

More than 50 people attended the graduation ceremony, including Seo Taewon, Governor of Gapyeong County, Kim Kyungsoo, Chairman of the Gapyeong County Council, Lim Ohyoung, Head of the Gapyeong County Forestry Cooperative, and the graduates. The county presented five county governor's awards, one perfect attendance award, and graduation certificates, recognizing the students' dedication.

Governor Seo Taewon stated, "Today's graduation is not only a personal achievement but also the first step toward building the future of Gapyeong's forests together," adding, "I hope you will grow into professionals who make significant contributions to regional development and the realization of national carbon neutrality."

Gapyeong County plans to institutionalize the Forest Academy as an annual educational program to continuously nurture forest professionals.

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