From the Field

Stories of
Real Change

Behind every statistic is a life transformed. These are the voices of the volunteers, communities, and ecosystems that define our work — unfiltered, unscripted, and deeply human.

Yoon Jihye, Volunteer Dive Leader
Featured Story
Volunteer Spotlight

From Seoul Office Worker to Weekend Dive Leader: Yoon Jihye's Story

When 28-year-old Yoon Jihye signed up for her first East Sea dive cleanup in 2023, she expected a one-time weekend activity. Two years later, she leads a team of 40 volunteer divers and has personally extracted over 1,200 kg of ghost nets from the seabed.

"The first time I pulled a net off a trapped rockfish and watched it swim free — that moment rewired something in me. I realised my Monday-to-Friday desk job doesn't define my life. What I do on Saturday mornings in the East Sea does."
Gangneung, Gangwon Province March 2025
Read About the East Sea Campaign
All Stories

Voices From Every Project

Grandmother Kim Ok-sun
Community Impact

"I Can Finally Breathe in Winter"

Grandmother Kim Ok-sun, 84, heated her Pyeongchang home with coal briquettes for over 40 years. After our team installed a heat pump and insulated her windows, she experienced her first winter without headaches, soot, or the fear of carbon monoxide poisoning.

"I thought the cold and the smell were just what winter meant. Now I wake up warm, and the air is clean. My grandchildren visit more because they say the house smells like a real home now."
Bongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang Rural Eco-Heating Project
Tristram's Woodpecker nesting in Gotjawal
Wildlife Recovery

Tristram's Woodpecker Returns to Gotjawal

In June 2023, a wildlife camera at our Bukchon restoration site captured something extraordinary: the first confirmed nesting pair of the critically endangered Tristram's woodpecker in a restored Gotjawal zone. The pair successfully fledged two chicks — a landmark moment for Korean conservation.

"Seeing those chicks on the camera feed, I cried. We planted those trees three years ago. Now they're holding a family that almost didn't survive."
— Dr. Kim Jeong-won, Lead Ecologist
Bukchon, Jeju Island Jeju Forest Restoration
Children in DMZ ecology class
Volunteer Story

32 Teachers, One Mission: Bringing the DMZ to Every Classroom

When middle school teacher Park Eunji completed our Train-the-Trainer certification in December 2024, she became one of 32 educators now qualified to independently deliver our DMZ ecology curriculum. Within two months, she had enrolled three schools in her district.

"My students thought nature was something on Netflix. After the DMZ module, one boy started a bird-watching club. Another wrote a letter to the county about the creek behind our school. That's not a lesson — that's a spark."
Suwon, Gyeonggi Province DMZ Education Programme
Students conducting crane census in Cheorwon Plain
Measurable Impact

967 Cranes Counted: The Largest Student-Led Census in Korean History

In the winter of 2024-25, 280 students from 36 partner schools participated in our annual crane census across the Cheorwon Plain — documenting 967 red-crowned cranes and 1,124 white-naped cranes. The data was formally submitted to BirdLife International and the IUCN.

"This isn't a school exercise. These numbers go to the same database used by the United Nations. These 15-year-olds are contributing to global conservation science."
— Yoon Hae-ri, Lead Educator
Cheorwon, Gangwon Province DMZ Education Programme
Haenyeo divers kelp restoration in Jumunjin
Community Impact

Jumunjin's Haenyeo Divers Become Kelp Restoration Partners

The veteran haenyeo (women divers) of Jumunjin have dived the East Sea for decades. When we approached them about kelp restoration, their response was immediate: "We watched the kelp disappear. Tell us how to bring it back." Today, 14 haenyeo lead monthly biodiversity transects at our restoration sites.

"The scientists brought the method. We brought 50 years of knowing this sea. Together, the kelp is coming back — and so are the fish our families depend on."
— Haenyeo Cooperative Leader, Kim Sun-ja
Jumunjin, Gangneung East Sea Marine Campaign
Volunteer Story

Architecture Student Spends Summer Insulating Grandparents' Homes

Lee Donghyun, a 3rd-year architecture student at Kangwon National University, spent his 2024 summer break installing insulation in 18 elderly homes in Jeongseon County. What started as a service-learning requirement became a personal mission.

"In school we design beautiful buildings for rich clients. Here, I'm putting foam board on a 50-year-old wall so a grandmother doesn't freeze. Honestly? This is the most important thing I've ever built."
Jeongseon, Gangwon Province Rural Eco-Heating Project
Wildlife Recovery

First Sea Otter Sighting in Gangneung Waters in 11 Years

In September 2024, our underwater monitoring team at the Jeongdongjin kelp restoration zone captured footage of a sea otter foraging among newly established kelp canopy — the first confirmed sighting in Gangneung waters since 2013. Marine biologists call it a "sentinel indicator" of ecosystem recovery.

"Sea otters only return when the kelp forest can support a full food chain. This otter is telling us: your work is reaching the tipping point."
— Prof. Park Soo-jin, Gangneung-Wonju National University
Jeongdongjin, Gangneung East Sea Marine Campaign
Measurable Impact

A Suwon Middle School Team Builds an App to Fight Wildlife Crime

At the 2024 Saessak Youth Environmental Summit, a team of four students from Suwon presented a community reporting app for illegal wildlife trade — designed entirely by 14-year-olds. The project won national media coverage and a Ministry of Environment commendation.

"We learned at the DMZ that endangered species are disappearing because no one is watching. So we built something to help people watch."
— Student team leader, Choi Yuna, age 14
Suwon, Gyeonggi Province DMZ Education Programme
Impact at a Glance

The Numbers Behind the Stories

142,000+ Native Trees Planted
74,000 kg Ocean Debris Removed
6,400+ Students Educated
342 Homes Converted
4,000+ Volunteers Mobilised
Zero CO Incidents (4 Winters)

Every volunteer, every tree, every home has a story. Yours could be next.

Join us in the field and become part of the next chapter.

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