By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
The Korea Education Broadcasting System (EBS) celebrates its 9th anniversary with two interesting documentaries ``Mankind of the Korean Peninsula'' and ``Spirit of Wind, Goshawk.''
``Mankind'' goes back to the times of the lives of the first inhabitant of the Korean peninsula.
``We wanted to track down who lived here for the first time, how they survived and why and how they disappeared. Europe has been interested in this issue for a long time, but we haven't,'' Chu Deok-dam, the producer of the documentary, told reporters at a press conference Wednesday in central Seoul.
Chu said that the crew stumbled upon difficulties trying to bring similar settings and the atmosphere of prehistoric times.
``Korea was covered with pine and oak trees in the past, but they have apparently all disappeared after numerous wars and historic events. We could have gone abroad to film some of the scenes, but that would have been meaningless,'' he added.
The program will offer viewers the chance to follow homo erectus _ believed to be the first species of man to leave Africa, living from between 2 million and 400,000 years ago _ along their journey of survival, from hunting mammoths, making tools, building boats and killing whales.
``Mankind of the Korean Peninsula'' will air June 22 to 24 at 9:50 p.m. on EBS.
The broadcaster has also prepared ``Spirit of Wind, Goshawk,'' a documentary that covers the life and wonder of the goshawk, one of Korea's endangered species and Natural Treasure No. 323.
``The most memorable feature of the goshawk is its flight patterns. We were all mesmerized by the beautiful birds and we wanted to share it with the audience by bringing an in-depth documentary that could show the birds' life up close and personal,'' said Lee Yeon-kyu, the chief producer of the documentary.
For the past year and a half, the camera crew wandered around the countryside, filming from disguised tents to capture the raw lives of the endangered birds.
Goshawks are famous for their flying, hunting other small birds at flight, gliding themselves even through the narrowest forests and capturing fish in ponds and lakes by swooping down from the sky.
``It's obvious that we have to save the environment, and I think one of the best ways is to show the beauty of it. Once people realize the beauty of our surroundings, they can easily realize the importance of preserving it,'' said Lee.
``Spirit of Wind, Goshawk'' will air June 25 at 9:50 p.m. on EBS.