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Lee Won-young, fourth from left, poses for a photo in Nagasaki, Japan, in June. Courtesy of Lee Won-young |
By Lee Kyung-min
Lee Won-young, an urban engineering professor at Suwon University, is on a "pilgrimage," planning to walk 11,000 kilometers in 26 countries within two years.
Since Lee launched the project he calls, "New Silk Road for Life and No Nuclear Power," on May 3, he has walked up to 25 kilometers each day in his destination country.
"I am walking to bring attention to the danger of the energy policies embracing nuclear power. The Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster happened in Japan in 2011, killing many people and exposing many more to radiation," he said.
"The air, land and sea were all contaminated by radioactive materials. The environmental impact of the accident was detrimental to the whole ecosystem and the Earth. I hope what I am doing draws the immediate attention of people all over the world," he added.
Lee plans to meet with the Dalai Lama at Dharamsala in India in February next year and give him a World Life Charter, which he wrote with other religious figures. On April 21, 2019, he will meet with Catholic leaders in Vatican City in Italy.
"I wanted to meet with religious leaders in various countries and talk about plans to realize a no-nuclear power policy and the dignity of life. I want to leave the future generation a safe Earth without nuclear power plants."
Lee criticized the United Nations (UN) for failing to come up with measures toward a nuclear-free world.
"The UN has done nothing to safeguard the Earth and prevent similar nuclear disasters. I thought I had to take action myself instead of waiting for something to happen," he said.
"Religious leaders all around the world who respect life should unite. They must come together and establish a new organization which will deal with the 450 nuclear power plants in the world."
Lee plans to share his story on a website. Visit http://cafe.daum.net/earthlifesilkroad for more. Lee can be reached at leewysu@gmail.com
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