EXO’s Baekhyun receives forest as birthday present

Fans of Baekhyun, a member of K-pop boy band EXO, set up the “Baekhyun Forest” in celebration of his 23rd birthday on Tuesday.

Baekhyun’s 12 fan clubs joined hands to organize “Baekhyun United” to proceed with the forest project. The group raised funds within the organization to create a small forest inside the Neulbut Park located at Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

According to representative of Tree Planet Inc., plants such as Jezo spruce, lilacs, Japanese maple and Bridal wreath were planted to form the forest. Tree Planet is a social enterprise that specializes in planting trees and takes on projects such as creating forests in honor of celebrities.

The fans who participated in the project expressed their overwhelming desire to dedicate a forest to their beloved celebrity.

“We are so glad to have created a forest that everyone can enjoy on our celebrity’s birthday. We hope that this place will be a place to rest for the local residents,” they said.

Baekhyun’s fans also began advertising the star with a bus wrapped in his posters. The bus runs through Seoul and Gyeonggi Province and the service will end on May 15. Due to safety issues, the bus is not allowed to have riders.

“Hello, this is Always-happy-Baekhyun. I would like to thank you for all the love and attention given to EXO and myself. I think I am the most blessed and happiest person in the world because of my fans,” Baekhyun told his fans via a letter on EXO-K’s official website.

EXO released its second EP, “Overdose” on Wednesday, setting a new record in K-pop for preorders.

By Ha Ji-won, Intern reporter (jiwonha@heraldcorp.com)