Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Korea promotes forest diplomacy at UN anti-desertification conference
Lee Kwang-ho, director general for forest protection at the Korea Forest Service, delivers opening remarks during the 17th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Wednesday. Courtesy of Korea Forest Service
By Jung Min-ho
The Korea Forest Service (KFS) said Friday that its delegation to Mongolia shared Korea’s forest restoration experience and promoted global cooperation to combat desertification at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
The government delegation, led by Lee Kwang-ho, director general for forest protection at the agency, attended a high-level roundtable on the Peace Forest Initiative in Ulaanbaatar on Wednesday. The participants, including former President Moon Jae-in and Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, exchanged views on cross-border forest cooperation and a range of approaches to promoting peace.
Launched in 2019 jointly by the KFS and the UNCCD Secretariat, the initiative supports the restoration of ecosystems and natural resources — including land, soil, water and forests — in fragile and conflict-affected areas. It aims to use joint environmental restoration projects to build trust and promote peace among neighboring countries and communities.
Lee also attended an event marking the 15th anniversary of the Changwon Initiative, a Korean-supported partnership co-launched with the UNCCD in 2011. The initiative helped advance the concept of land degradation neutrality — the goal of preventing the net loss of healthy and productive land through restoration and sustainable management. The concept was later incorporated into Sustainable Development Goal 15.3.
The initiative has helped expand participation in the UNCCD’s land degradation neutrality target-setting program, with 131 countries now taking part, according to the KFS.
To showcase the Changwon Initiative’s achievements over the last 15 years, the KFS and the UNCCD Secretariat are operating a promotional pavilion throughout the conference. The exhibition follows Korea’s long journey from once-denuded mountains to its nationwide reforestation success in the 1970s, as well as its subsequent international efforts, including the Korea-Mongolia Green Belt project.
“Seeing people from around the world express appreciation and encouragement for Korea’s contribution and its significant role in the international community was deeply rewarding,” Lee said. “We will continue working to restore forest ecosystems, enhance biodiversity and protect the foundations of human life at home and abroad.”