The 4th of Turkey-Korea Friendship Forests is being established in Pendik, Istanbul.

Türkiye-Kore Dostluk Ormanlarının 4.’sü İstanbul Pendik’te kuruluyor.

While the forest fires in the summer continue, 130 thousand saplings donated by Korean nature lovers continue to meet the soil in different cities. After Antalya, Nevşehir and Kilis, Turkey-Korea Friendship Forest started to be established in Istanbul.

In addition to hundreds of environmental volunteers, Sung Kyu Woo, Consul General of the Republic of Korea, attended the sapling planting ceremony of the Turkey-Korea Friendship Forest in Pendik, where 50 thousand saplings will meet with the soil.

130,000 saplings donated by Korean nature lovers who participated in the “We Have the Root – The Green Homeland for All of Us” campaign initiated by the Environmental Organizations Solidarity Association (ÇEKUD) with the aim of greening the areas damaged by the forest fires that occurred in many regions of Turkey during the summer months, are being brought together with the soil in different cities of Turkey.

A new Turkey-Korea Friendship Forest, which was created in Antalya, Nevşehir and Kilis in the past weeks, is being established in Istanbul. On behalf of the Korean people, the Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Istanbul, Sung Kyu Woo, also attended the sapling planting ceremony in Pendik district. The ceremony was also attended by Kartal District Governor Abdullah Demir, Pendik Mayor Ahmet Cin, Pendik District National Education Director Aytekin Yılmaz, Istanbul Forest Regional Deputy Director Erdal Şahan, Istanbul Provincial Culture and Tourism Deputy Director Mümin Yıldıztaş, Turkish Volleyball Federation Board Member Kazım Şahin Gürkan, ÇEKUD President Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik and the members of the board of directors, as well as hundreds of environmental friends and students attended.

“The saplings will deepen the friendship of the two countries”

Sung Kyu Woo, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Istanbul, stated that he was very honored to participate in the Turkey-Korea Friendship Forest sapling planting ceremony and said, “The saplings planted here today are a great help not only to remove the damage caused by the fires in Turkey, but also to deepen the friendship between the two countries. will contribute. As a sign of this friendship between the Turkish and Korean peoples, which set an example to the world, we, as the Korean Consulate General, donated 1,400 saplings to Turkey. We are also happy to bring these saplings together with nature today to root our friendship. We would like to thank the ÇEKUD management for organizing this meaningful organization. “As the saplings take root, our friendship will deepen,” he said.

“The friendship of the two countries has been strengthened with fresh saplings”

Reminding that they started the “We Have Roots” campaign with the slogan “Green Homeland for All of Us” in order to contribute to the re-greening of the burned forest areas, ÇEKUD President Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik said, “While our campaign was continuing, we encountered the favor of our Korean friends, with whom we are close by heart, even though the distance is far. After the Turkey-Korea Volleyball match, upon the call for sapling donation made by the Captain of the Korean Volleyball National Team, Kim Yeon-koung, tens of thousands of Korean nature lovers donated more than 130 thousand saplings to Turkey via ÇEKUD’s online platform, dikiliagacimvar.com, and today this figure is 150 thousand. approached. Behind the intense interest of Korean nature lovers in the call for sapling donation, there is a feeling of friendship and brotherhood between Turkey and Korea, which has lasted for nearly a century. The intense trust of our Korean friends to our sapling campaign, which we started to make our forests green again, strengthened the friendship between the two countries with fresh saplings.

“50 thousand saplings will meet the soil in Istanbul”

Stating that ÇEKUD decided to establish Turkey-Korea Friendship Forests upon the meaningful sapling donation of Korean nature lovers, President Debik said, “We establish friendship forests in regions preferred by Korean travelers. After Antalya, Kilis and Nevşehir, we are planting the first saplings of the 4th friendship forest here in Istanbul Pendik. When the planting in Pendik is completed, 50 thousand saplings will meet with the soil. In the coming period, we will bring the first saplings of the friendship forest together with nature in Muğla and Osmaniye. Our friendship will take root when the saplings we planted with care will turn into trees.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Istanbul Forestry Regional Deputy Director Erdal Şahan also gave information about the afforestation activities in Turkey.

After the ceremony, the sapling planting ceremony of the Turkey-Korea Friendship Forest was started. Hundreds of environmentally friendly volunteers and students who attended the ceremony brought the first saplings to the soil. When the planting is completed, 10 thousand of the saplings donated by Korean nature lovers, 1,400 saplings donated by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Istanbul, and 38,600 saplings donated by ÇEKUD volunteers, a total of 50 thousand saplings will meet the soil.