Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
Fans name ‘Seotaiji Forest‘ in Brazil
By Kim Rahn
A group of fans of Seo Tai-ji has designated a patch of land to be named after the musician in a rainforest in Brazil through fundraising in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the pop culture icon’s debut on March 23.
Seotaiji Mania said Thursday about 5 hectares of land in Guapi Assu, a tropical rainforest region in the South American country, has been named ‘Seotaiji Forest’ and they are promoting tree planting there.
By Kim Rahn
Fans have raised about 40 million won for the project, exceeding the target of 20 million won, with the forest likely to be larger than initially envisioned.
The project started at the end of 2009 when MBC’s documentary “Tears of the Amazon” was aired.
“We got interested in environmental issues, and one member suggested on the bulletin board that we create a forest. That was the beginning, and about 60 fans gathered to realize it,” a staffer of the project said.
They decided to take up part of a forest in Brazil where only 7 percent of the original trees remain. There are many endangered species inhabiting the land there. They signed an MOU with a British environment group World Land Trust (WLT) that helps environment protection work in the region.
“The conditions were: We name the forest Seotaiji Forest; there should not be any potential disputes on ownership of the land; the forest is not created for personal purposes; and the WLT manages the forest and reports feedback to us,” she said.
The group hoped the project — planned and promoted independently and voluntarily by the fans — will act as leverage to draw greater public attention to rainforest depletion.