prof. Kim Jae-hyun of Kunkook University took office as the 31st minister of the Korea Forest Service (KFS) at the Daejeon Government Complex on July 18. While delivering his inaugural speech, KFS Minister Kim said the KFS will devote itself to creating jobs by enhancing investment and fiscal efficiency in the forestry industry. 

Kim is a professor-cum- civic activist. While serving as a professor of Kunkook University Forest Environment Department since 1997, he also held such positions as the co-chairman of the Standing Committee for National Drive for Woods of Life; a central councilor of the KFS’s mountain village eco-village project committee; and vice chairman of the Hope Institute. 

Kim, a native of Damyang, Jeollanam-do, worked for President Moon Jae-in’s campaign. He studied at Seoul National University Forest Department and obtained a doctorate in agriculture from University of Tsukuba in Japan. 

He has also maintained close relations with Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon.

“State-initiated forest policies have been so far expanded. Resources promotion and forest welfare segments have yielded fruits of their own, but the invigoration of the market is insufficient with not enough forest income and development of the forestry industry,” he said. 

The keywords of President Moon’s state goals are “income-oriented growth,” and forestry is the most suitable segment that can realize income-oriented growth, Kim said. If investments and fiscal efficiency in the forestry industry are raised, he said, jobs will rise and resources will be richer. If forest services are diversified, he said the values thereof will lead to the establishment of a virtuous-cycle structure in which the lives of people in the forestry industry can be enriched and reinvested into the industry. 

To this end, the new KFS minister first called for growth of all cyclical stages of the forestry resources cycle, ranging from afforestation to management, production, processing, distribution, use and termination to establish a system of flow designed to attain growth of forest businesses. 

Second, Kim demanded better communication. The KFS has so far provided many services to people through “one-sided” communication. The forestry field needs to have ample communication among forest service clients, as agro-fisheries organizations have tried to explore new courses with consumer bodies.  Third, he called for innovation in the forestry field, including in the KFS. He cited consensus and flexibility to pursue innovation of the industry and the establishment of best-practises forest governance, first and foremost.  Fourth, the KFS minister spoke of creating quality jobs in the forestry field. 

Fifth, he called for the expansion of global cooperation in the field, particularly the restoration of devastated forests in North Korea. Forests are recognized as significant means to address such problems as climate change and to counter the depletion of biological species that human beings are now faced with, and Korea’s global standing have been leveled up to the extent the nation has spearhead the establishment of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO). The KFS is making seamless preparations for Korea’s hosting of the 15th World Forestry Congress in 2021, he said.  

The KFS is also making seamless preparations for the restoration of barren forests in North Korea to brace for unification, Minister Kim said.