`Rice trees` in hunger-stricken North Korea

Walking along the Cheonggyecheon Stream in downtown Seoul, one can find many fringe trees with elliptical leaves and white corollas. Seen from a distance in May and June, they look as if they were covered with snow. Seen more closely, however, they remind people of bowls filled with rice. Therefore, Koreans call them "rice trees."

Korean ancestors predicted a year`s harvest by how the fringe tree flowers bloom. They even considered them as "sacred trees," praying them for bumper crops. Some say that ancient people called them rice trees hoping for a bumper year when they could afford to eat rice. Old villagers in Jinan, North Jeolla Province used to plant a fringe tree by a child`s grave, wishing the child who never had the luxury of eating his belly full would have as much rice as he can in the other world.

South Korea`s Ministry of Unification planted 7,000 fringe trees donated by the Korea Water Resources Corporation on a barren hill near the water purification and drainage facilities for the Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea on Thursday and Friday. Tree planting events for the Kaesong Industrial Complex took place from 2005 to 2007 and from 2010 to 2012. There was none last year because North Korea suspended the operation of the industrial park. Seoul has banned nearly all inter-Korean exchanges as part of its sanctions against the North following the North`s torpedo attack on a South Korean naval vessel in 2010. However, reforestation support is not subject to the sanctions. President Park Geun-hye has recently proposed that Seoul build agricultural complexes in the North, which is suffering from low farming productivity and deforestation.

Many mountains in North Korea have lost trees because North Koreans removed them to make fields to increase food production. The absence of trees resulted in frequent landslides during summer rainy seasons, making river floors higher, which causes frequent floods. In his New Year`s address, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for a nationwide tree-planting campaign for reforestation. However, it needs seedlings and technical support to grow trees. Looking at the rice-like flowers blooming on fringe trees, I hope hunger-stricken North Korean people`s lives will get better.

Editorial Writer Park Seong-won (swpark@donga.com)