A Green Initiative by Korean and Uzbek University Students

Members of the Korea University Social Service Organization held a series of green conferences across Uzbekistan.

The conference series, wholly student-led from topic selection to translation and interpretation, involved lively discussions between 21 KU students and 100 Uzbek counterparts.

The event was the first global initiative by university students on the environmental issues of the Aral Sea.

▲ Members of the Korea University Social Service Organization in a post-conference photo with Uzbek students

Twenty-one KU students embarked on a 3,200 kilometer-long tour from Seoul to Uzbekistan to engage on the themes of the environment, ecology, and health. From Seoul, the group journeyed to Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Urgench and Nukus.

On August 15th 10 AM (local Uzbek time), the members of the Korea University Social Service Organization held a conference on environmental and health issues at Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan.

The Central Asian country is facing severe environment issues caused by the desiccation and receding shoreline of the Aral Sea, which is situated on its border with Kazakhstan. Almost six decades ago, the Aral was the fourth largest lake in the world with a total area of about 68,000 square kilometers. In 1960, however, in a move to irrigate food crops, the Soviet government began construction on dams on the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya rivers that fed the Aral. The diverted water flow caused a drastic decrease in the water levels in the Aral Sea. By the 2000s, the area covered by water had shrunk to roughly one-tenth of its original size, leaving the once booming Aral Sea fishery industry in ruins. Moreover, the dust storms and salt wreak widespread havoc on the crops in the region today. The UN recognizes the depletion of the Aral Sea as a global concern extending far beyond Central Asia.

In recognition of the environmental, ecological and health-related issues involving the Aral Sea, the 21 KU students visited Uzbekistan under the team name KUARA, a combination of KU and ARAL. They initiated the series of conferences to share with Uzbek students information on the environmental problems facing the two countries and to discuss possible solutions, thereby enhancing their knowledge of global issues. Some experts have strived to resolve the Aral Sea crisis, but this initiative by KU members is the first global move by university students on that matter. The conferences were organized with the support of the Korea University Social Service Organization and the Korean Ministry of Environment.

Alikhanov Boriy Botirovich, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Central Kengash of the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan, expressed his expectations for the event, saying, “Extremely few countries have strived to help resolve Uzbek environmental issues, and Korea is one of the few. Our countries share the same environmental issues. I hope that this event will be a good opportunity for Uzbek students to learn from KU students.”

At the conference, the KU students delivered presentations on the topics of the damage and countermeasures of greenhouse gases and fine dust in Korea, microplastics, Korea’s sustainable green growth initiative, and the influence of the environment on the human body. The Uzbek students covered the topics of the fuel for green cars, the green lifestyle movement, and the desertification of Uzbekistan.

Ji-yeong Jang from the Department of Physics of Korea University (entry class 2015) presented on the topic of the damage from and countermeasures against greenhouse gases and fine dust in Korea. “Environmental issues are not something a couple of people can tackle but an issue of us all. In this sense, the conference was a wake-up call for all of us,” she said after the conference.

Malika Urumbaeva from Turin Polytechnic University said, “The conference was well organized and prepared by both Korean and Uzbek students.”

Do Seon Eur, Head of the Korea University Social Service Organization, stressed the significance of the conference, “In order to resolve environmental issues, a long-term and global perspective is essential, along with the participation by youth. I believe that this conference will be a starting point of change.”

The KU students continued their conference in the Samarkand Vocational Training Center by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) on August 16th, Bukhara State University on August 18th, and the Urgench National Defense Center on August 20th, with the final conference at Nukus Medical College on August 24th.

▲ Gil-Sung Park (center of the second row), Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs of Korea University, encouraged the participants on the site of the conference in Uzbekistan.