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Korean Air's tree planting campaign for 13 years

Posted May. 12, 2016 07:42,   

Updated May. 12, 2016 08:11

한국어
Baganuur is situated some 150 kilometers east of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. Residents in this city, which has no single decent forest that can help break winds mixed with earthen dust, are waiting for solonggos (Mongolian words meaning "the country of rainbow," referring to Korea), who will leave them "green gift” every year.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, more than 200 executives and rookie employees from Korean Air staged volunteer activities to plant trees in desolate land in Baganuur, which is undergoing gradual desertification process. Baganuur desperately needed sand-breaking forests because dust from nearby mines directly passes through the field before reaching the village. With a tree planting campaign for 13 consecutive years since 2004, Korean Air is presenting forests in deserts in Mongolia and China as part of its "global planting project."

Braving unfavorable weather conditions with temperatures plunging to subzero instantly amid storm, Korean Air employees and Mongolian students formed groups of three to five people and concentrated on planting seedlings. Small and thin seedlings standing 1 to 2 meters that have been planted in tens of thousands of holes in wilderness stood up stoutly by enduring gusty winds and storms. “It is great because we develop love for the planet earth while planting trees,” a 16-year-old Mongolian girl said while carrying water through seedlings of her height.

Korea's largest airline has planned more than 100,000 trees in land extending a total of 440,000 sq. meters, including some 10,000 trees such as poplar trees and Dwarf Elm planted this year. The company has been managing growth of the trees since 2013 by hiring local forestry experts. To help increase residents’ income since last year, Korean Air has planted ChaChargan trees, which are used as raw material for vitamin supplements.



신동진기자 shine@donga.com