By Kim Ji-soo
Culture Editor

Life, at most times, feels like the fine art of striking up a working friendship with speed.

When you are young, time passes by so slowly; all you want is to become an adult as soon as possible. When you are an adult, time is elusive, as you wait forever for a break. When you are near your time, so to speak, time seems to speed away.

The reason for this elongated gibberish about speed is that time has once again sped away this year. And one of the most telling signs that the year is up is none other than the uprooted pavement, waiting for a new facelift.

The pavement, to my dim memory, was worked on last year in my neighborhood in southern Seoul. But once again, they go through their annual fate, as local governments are looking to burn residual funds from the 2008 fiscal year.

It's hard to digest what seems like an unnecessary makeover year after year. But the yearly renovations in fact reflect the dilemmas of local governments. It is said that once local governments voluntarily turn in residual funds, it can lead to a reduction in their budget for the next fiscal year.

A cut in budget is everyone's nightmare, I imagine. Furthermore, by contracting out these yearly projects, the local government is providing jobs for people in related industries.

However, one cannot shake off the feeling that maybe there are more creative ways to make use of funds left unused, especially if the pavement is practically new. For example, how about planting more trees, as the cities in Korea are turning very sterile, with massive high-rise buildings dominating the skylines?

The southern city of Daegu is well known for its high temperature during the sultry summer. A landlocked city, Daegu has planted 10 million trees throughout the city since 1995, reducing the temperature.

A study showed that afternoon highs in the summer stood at around 38.3 degrees Celcius. But in 1997, it dropped to 36.6 degrees in 1997, 35.3 degrees in 1998 and 35.5 degrees in 1999. In the case of Daegu, an inner city spring running south to north also contributed to pulling down the mercury, the study showed.

As Korea becomes more industrial by the day, its peoples' demand for greenery is soaring.

Take a walk in any area of greenery in Seoul, and you are going to run into human traffic. Whether it be the riverside parks along the Han River or the few parks dotted here and there, it's easy to gauge the level of people's thirst for a greener city.

The Cheonggye Stream, a body of water that runs through inner Seoul, is reportedly reducing the temperature in its surrounding neighborhoods by two to three degrees.

Now seems like a good time to plant trees in Seoul, not only to pull down the temperature but also to become a city that contributes to reducing global warming.

janee@koreatimes.co.kr