Invited by the Korea-China Youth Association for Culture ("Future Forests"), over 100 university students, public welfare enthusiasts, and Korean student volunteers studying in China arrived in Dalad Banner, Inner Mongolia on the 18th to begin a three-day desert trekking and tree-planting activity.
At 12:00 that day, these Korean volunteers, dressed in matching green tops, set off toward the desert under the leadership of former South Korean Ambassador to China Kwon Byong-hyon, experiencing the challenge of trekking through the sand.
"Environmental protection is something everyone must do, and I’ve received great help and support from people across all sectors, which is also a motivation for me to keep doing this work." Kwon Byong-hyon, now in his seventies, moved just as swiftly as the young participants and joined the entire three-hour desert trek.
Cao Jingzhi, a Korean student studying in China, told reporters, "I’ve been here four times now—I’ve lost count of how many trees I’ve planted. The desert trek is meant to let everyone experience the desert environment and understand the importance of environmental protection through tree planting."
Kwon Hyuk-dae, head of the China office of "Future Forests," said, "Environmental protection is not something that concerns just one country or region. I come every year, but my feelings are different each time. During the trek through the desert, I can see the green gradually increasing—this shows our efforts are not in vain. Years of hard work are starting to pay off, and most of the trees have survived."
Following the 'Green Hundred-Person Group,' reporters learned that many of them were not visiting for the first time. When asked why they had returned to plant trees again, they gave the same answer: to experience the desert and help green it.
One volunteer on the trip shared his first desert trekking experience with a reporter: "My first feeling was fear—I felt the ocean of sand could swallow you up if you weren’t careful, and how small you are in front of the desert. Before, I’d only seen movies or heard others describe what the desert is like, but after experiencing it firsthand, I realized just how terrifying it is."
Along the way, they encountered strong winds with flying sand and grit that made it hard to open your eyes. One Korean female student became too tired to continue, but her companions kept encouraging her: "Come on!" To avoid falling behind, she rested briefly, then got up and, with their help, caught up with the main group.