Part of Brazil’s rain forest to be named after Korean pop star

A portion of Brazil's rain forest will be named after Korean pop star Seo Tai-ji after fans donated to a reforestation project being pushed in the South American country by a British environmental group, according to a fan club.

The Seotaiji Forest is being created in Guapi Assu, in the heart of the Atlantic Forest and about 70 kilometers from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, utilizing 39 million won ($34,719) raised by the fans, the group said.

The forest will open to the public on March 20, timed for the 20th anniversary of the singer's debut.

The exact size of the forest to be created was not known.

"Our initial goal was to create 5 hectares of forest, but the size is likely to become bigger as we raised more than double the amount of money we targeted," the fan club said on a posting to Seo's official Website.

Inspired by Seo's environmental "eco-project" campaign, the group said it decided in 2010 to celebrate the star's upcoming anniversary by participating in the reforestation project led by the British environmental group, World Land Trust.

Guapi Assu is home to many endangered wild animals and only 7 percent of the original forest remains.

Seo made his debut as lead singer of the popular boy band, "Seo Tai-ji & Boys," in 1992 and produced a string of mega-hit K-pop albums. (Yonhap)