Juliette Biao, director of the United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat, describes South Korea’s forest policy as a global model of successful reforestation and sustainable forest management, achieved through a balance of scientific methods and community-based efforts. “Korea’s forest policy is one of the great examples of success in conservation, reforestation, and sustainable management. Since the mid-20th century, the country has transformed degraded landscapes into well-

South Korea's forest agency announced Thursday that it has established a cooperative organization with Laos to enhance joint efforts in combating deforestation and promoting sustainable forest management. The organization, the REDD+ Cooperation Center, focuses on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. It is based on the REDD+ Act, a framework adopted in February under the UN for implementing, monitoring and managing programs aimed at conserving forests and reducing ca

The Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute is paving the way for Korean-style gardens abroad. The institute, operating under the Korea Forest Service, showcased the beauty and traditional philosophy of Korean gardens on a global stage by setting up a special garden at the International Horticultural Expo in Doha, Qatar, last October. This garden, covering 1,200 square meters, created an oasis in the desert using 350 trees, 600 shrubs and 1,500 herbaceous plants, sourced locally. According to the i

As climate change continues to threaten plant ecosystems worldwide, the Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute is drawing increased attention as a key player in protecting biodiversity both locally and abroad. Operating under the state-run Korea Forest Service, KoAGI's primary task is managing the Baekdudaegan Global Seed Vault in Bonghwa, North Gyeongsang Province. Opened in December 2015, the vault houses nearly 240,000 seeds from 5,792 wild plant species worldwide and is one of only two su

A global gathering of botanical experts convened Wednesday at the National Arboretum in Sejong, South Korea, to address the pressing issue of plant biodiversity conservation in an era of climate change. The international symposium, jointly hosted by the Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute (KoAGI), Korea Forest Service and Korea National Arboretum, brought together 100 leading specialists from across the globe to hash out collaborative strategies for protecting the planet's flora. Dr. Paul

Small and medium-sized enterprises in South Korea are making significant inroads into the nation’s public procurement market, a sector estimated to be worth a staggering 209 trillion won ($154 billion) as of last year, according to a report by the Public Procurement Service published in May. Aiding this success is the Public Procurement Guide, an initiative launched in March that is drawing attention for its innovative approach to assisting emerging businesses. According to the PPS, the

South Korea's Public Procurement Service is spearheading efforts to help local businesses break into the global procurement market, valued at an estimated $12 trillion. Of this total, Korean companies are positioned to vie for a lucrative $2 trillion portion, presenting a significant opportunity for the nation's export economy, according to PPS's estimate. Recently, the agency has been doubling down on its support for aspiring businesses. A host of comprehensive initiatives has al

The Public Procurement Service, responsible for managing procurement contracts worth 209 trillion won ($152 billion) last year — a third of the South Korean government's entire spending — serves as both an allocator of domestic demand and a driver of innovation for the country’s thriving small and medium-sized enterprises. Lim Ki-keun, who was appointed as PPS administrator in December last year, has taken on this critical responsibility during a period of mounting global

The Korean Intellectual Property Office is stepping up its international efforts to protect intellectual property rights for export enterprises. From July 9 to 11, KIPO took part in the 65th World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. There, KIPO held bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the event with ten different intellectual property bodies, including offices from Brazil, Denmark, Germany, India, Australia, the UK, France, Canada, Argentina, and the

The Korean Intellectual Property Office is accelerating global efforts to enhance intellectual property rights for Korean export companies. At the recent World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly, KIPO engaged in bilateral meetings with representatives from 10 countries. KIPO Commissioner Kim Wan-ki shared the key outcomes in an interview with The Korea Herald. "We signed two IP cooperation MOUs (memorandums of understanding) with the heads of patent offices from 10 countrie

Under the shared goal to tackle the climate crisis, Korea and Mongolia have been pioneering a greenbelt project, a testament to their relationship and a joint effort to rejuvenate desertifying landscapes. The beginning of the Korea-Mongolia Greenbelt Plantation Project dates back to 2006 when the Korea Forest Service, the nation’s forest agency, and Mongolia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism formalized their forestry cooperation to combat yellow dust and desertification prevention

The Korea Forest Service and the Kazakh government agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in forestry management through a memorandum of understanding signed at the Presidential Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan, Wednesday. Under the agreement, formalized on the sidelines of the summit between Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the two governments will work on forest disaster response, such as managing forest fires and promoting biodiversity through seed exchange an

South Korea’s Public Procurement Service said Wednesday it is hosting the International Public Procurement Workshop 2024, an international gathering of procurement experts from around the world, this week in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. Under the title of “Gaining New Insight on Public Procurement,” the two-day event will kick off Thursday at the Kintex convention center. This year, the event will be co-hosted with the Inter-American Development Bank or IDB in order for Korea to b