KOREAN NET

Journalists Nguyen Thi Phuong Thanh from Vietnam's VTV1 and Mitsuyama Masakazu from Japan's Kyodo News on Sept. 26 take a photo after their interview with Korea.net at KOCIS (Korean Culture and Information Service) Center within Korea Press Center in Seoul's Jung-gu District. (Lee Kyoung Mi)

By Lee Kyoung Mi

The United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 adopted the Sustainable Development Goals in 17 sectors including economy, society and the environment.

As each country strives to achieve its goals by 2030, Korea is also responding to the climate crisis based on its Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth for Coping with Climate Crisis, as well as striving for sustainable development through higher interest in environment, society and governance management.

So how are Korea's efforts seen by the world?

Korea.net on Sept. 6 interviewed visiting journalists Masakazu Mitsuyama from Japan's Kyodo News and Nguyen Thi Phuong Thanh from Vietnam's VTV1 at KOCIS (Korean Cultural and Information Service) Center in Seoul's Jung-gu District. Both were covering Korea's sustainable growth and the "community values" behind it.

From Sept. 22-28, they toured the National Food Cluster, tidal flat Gochang Getbol, which was designated a site of international importance under the U.N. Ramsar Convention, and Future Waste Collection Center.

Foreign journalists on Sept. 24 visit Foodpolis, Korea's first industrial complex for food, in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do Province, to cover the facility's food packaging center. (Foodpolis)

On which facility seemed to show the most effort toward sustainable development, Mitsuyama and Nguyen selected National Food Cluster, the nation's first industrial complex for food.

Food companies and think tanks are stationed here as the central government supports the food industry's marketing and exports. The complex contributes to development of the food sector through innovative research and production.

"I felt a strong intent to develop the food industry under government leadership," Mitsuyama said. "I was impressed by the comprehensive support system that allowed all companies from small to large to participate."

He added that only Korea uses the method of connecting its food industry with its culture such as K-pop to expand exports.

Thanh focused on the food packaging center at the National Food Cluster. She lauded the country's green packaging methods like enhancing the sturdiness of wrapping to minimize use of materials and making cooler boxes from paper instead of Styrofoam to allow recycling.

Foreign media personnel on Sept. 25 listen to a guide about getbol (tidal flat) at Gochang Getbol in Gochang-gun County, Jeollabuk-do Province.

The two journalists also shared their thoughts on the significance and role of regional communities in sustainable development.

On the day before the interview, Thanh visited Gochang Getbol, a tidal flat in Gochang-gun County, Jeollabuk-do Province, something that made her contemplate the value of regional communities. She said she was surprised not only by villagers working in fishing, but also everyone in the community helping the preservation of getbol including children.

Stressing the importance of such residents, Mitsuyama added, "I heard that regional residents were the first to work on preserving getbol and cleaning the environment."  

For sustainable development, he called a bottom-up approach of residents taking the lead more important than a top-down method of governments giving orders.

In that sense, he called Gochang Getbol an outstanding example of a community discovering its region's value and autonomous leadership. "An autonomous and self-reliant region has strong resilience to solve any problem," he said on what he saw in Gochang-gun.

Reporters Masakazu Mitsuyama (left) and Nguyen Thi Phuong Thanh visited Korea to cover the nation's sustainable development. (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

After returning to Vietnam, Thanh said she plans to focus on reporting Korea's technological development and achievements in sustainable growth since the nation is a global technology power.

Apart from her news coverage, she hailed the Seoul Outdoor Library at Cheonggyecheon Stream and Seoul Square, saying reading amid well-balanced harmony between an urban space and nature is helpful to mental health.

Mitsuyama said his latest visit broadened his horizons as a journalist about Korea, adding, "I plan to write about Korean food exports, which attract much interest in Japan, and battery recycling."

km137426@korea.kr