Diplomacy Journal David Kendall 기자 | Diplomatic representatives from five countries joined hundreds of local participants and Buddhist monks from Korea and Sri Lanka on Wednesday, 1 April, for the International Friendship Tree-Planting Ceremony held at the grounds of Byeoksa Chobuljeongsa Buddhist Temple in Miwon-myeon, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do.

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Organized by Diplomacy Journal and the Damhwa Cultural Foundation under Chairman Lee Jon-young, the event — entitled "Together with Nature, People and the World — Green Korea" — was held jointly with the Chungcheongbuk-do Cheongju Forestry Cooperative and brought together a cross-section of the diplomatic community, religious figures, and the Korean public in a shared gesture of environmental commitment.

Among the diplomatic attendees were Ambassador H.E. Begench Durdyyev of Turkmenistan, Minister Counsellor Kim Nguo of Cambodia, Minister Counsellor Ngoy Kabalo Thierry of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Deputy Chief of Mission Rustam Isaev of Uzbekistan, and Third Secretary Mehmet Selim of Türkiye.

The tree-planting itself was a large-scale public affair, with 850 local residents, according to Cheongju City organizers, gathered to plant saplings across the mountainside temple grounds. The presence of Buddhist monks from both Korea and Sri Lanka added an interfaith dimension to what organizers described as a ceremony of ecological and cultural friendship.

Each diplomat personally planted one or two saplings and toured a K-Minhwa (Korean Folk Painting) exhibition set up in the temple before having lunch and returning to Seoul.

Other events organized as part of the ceremony included a hanbok fashion showcase and an exhibition of photographs from the Korean War.