South Korean President is an Eco-Hero
Lee Myung Bak, President of South Korea, is recognized as one of Time.com's Heroes of the Environment. He certainly deserves the title, as he has been a champion of environmental causes in his country for almost a decade. But Lee Myung Bak wasn't always an eco role model.
In the 1960's and 70's, Lee Myung Bak was a key player in the rebuilding of South Korea after the destructive Korean War. South Korea industrialized quickly, but with quick industrialization came pollution and a lack of concern for environmental impacts. Perhaps most indicative of this attitude was the construction of a large, elevated highway above the Cheonggyecheon, a natural stream that runs through the city. But a few years ago, Lee began to have a change of heart. He realized that South Korea, and its capital, Seoul, had become a strong economic force, but had neglected their own natural resources. He began to consider the environment as an issue worth paying attention to. After winning the election for Mayor of Seoul in 2002, he became a champion of environmental causes. Fittingly, he overhauled the Cheonggyecheon, making it a beautiful natural space running through the city. Before and after pictures are below.
In December of last year, Lee was elected President. He continues to be mindful of the environment. He was quoted by Time as saying, "We try to achieve a balance between function and the environment, and we try to put the environment first." The man who was once known as "The Bulldozer" for his active role in industrial reconstruction has now become an Eco-Hero.
|
|
Print
E-mail
Comments
DrJG
I don't know if it is size of Central Park in NY city, but it looks good, and more metropolitan cities could follow this.
London has wonderful parks and greenery, Mumbai lacks it more and more, Delhi used to be good, Bangalore has recently felled thousands of (more than a hundred years old) trees to make way for roads, LA has decorative palms but little shade, Boston ...
I could list a few more towns, across the world, but that would not illustrate the point any more than the before-and-after pictures of Seoul.
Thank you for this article. If I may, here are some thoughts on the subject, having been here recently and written about it as well (http://ecoworldly.com/2008/06/04/south-korea-trades-dirty-expressway-for...). It's a beautiful stream and it's wonderful that it gives people a place to walk in a green area where they otherwise wouldn't have one. However, it's not really green in the sense that water has to be pumped from the Han river at massive electrical expense into the otherwise seasonal stream. Also, Lee Myung-bak is certainly not seen as a hero in S. Korea. His approval rating is about that of Bush's and they've taken to calling him 2MB (pronounced similarly to his initials, but meaning a 2MB brain). Just thought I'd offer another side of the story. :)
[quote=gavinhudson]Thank you for this article. If I may, here are some thoughts on the subject, having been here recently and written about it as well (http://ecoworldly.com/2008/06/04/south-korea-trades-dirty-expressway-for...). It's a beautiful stream and it's wonderful that it gives people a place to walk in a green area where they otherwise wouldn't have one. However, it's not really green in the sense that water has to be pumped from the Han river at massive electrical expense into the otherwise seasonal stream. Also, Lee Myung-bak is certainly not seen as a hero in S. Korea. His approval rating is about that of Bush's and they've taken to calling him 2MB (pronounced similarly to his initials, but meaning a 2MB brain). Just thought I'd offer another side of the story. :)[/quote]
Interesting view of the subject.
--------------------------
I'd rather be camping!