34 Gyeonggi Youth Climate Special Envoys Dispatched to Cambodia to Complete Return by 21st

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] The early return measure for the Gyeonggi Youth Climate Special Envoy Corps dispatched to Cambodia, which has been underway since the 16th on the orders of Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, will be completed by the 21st.

As of the morning of the 19th, Gyeonggi Province announced that 17 members of the Gyeonggi Youth Climate Special Envoy Corps who had been dispatched to the Kampong Speu region of Cambodia safely returned on the 17th and morning of the 19th.

Subsequently, on the night of the 19th, 10 members dispatched to the Siem Reap region will depart for their return, and on the night of the 20th, 7 members dispatched to the same region will sequentially depart, with all returns completed by the morning of the 21st.

Additionally, 4 civil servants who traveled to the field to support their return will all return home together with the members.

The ‘Gyeonggi Youth Climate Special Envoy Corps’ dispatched to Cambodia comprised a total of 34 members (ages 19-39). Since the 11th, 17 members were dispatched to Kampong Speu and 17 to Siem Reap in Cambodia, with plans to engage in volunteer activities including tree planting, environmental improvement, environmental awareness campaigns, and cultural exchange through the 28th.

However, following a series of crimes targeting South Koreans in Cambodia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised the travel alert level for certain regions in Cambodia, creating local safety concerns.

Consequently, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon made the decision on the 15th to have the ‘Gyeonggi Youth Climate Special Envoy Corps’ dispatched to Cambodia return early. Governor Kim's judgment was that the safety of the special envoys should take precedence over anything else, and that security issues should be addressed with utmost caution.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon emphasized that while the originally planned 18-day activity period in Cambodia for the special envoy corps must inevitably be shortened, the members should not face any disadvantages, and also instructed the International Cooperation Bureau to prepare additional programs.

Following the governor's orders, 4 Gyeonggi Province civil servants, including International Cooperation Bureau Director Park Geun-gyun, flew to Cambodia on the 15th to support the special envoys' return. When the governor decided on early return on the 15th at midnight, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised the travel alert level for the dispatched regions in Cambodia from Level 1 to Level 2, adding urgency to the return measure.

The Gyeonggi Youth Climate Special Envoy Corps is a program that provides overseas volunteer opportunities for Gyeonggi youth. The first group conducted volunteer activities with 120 members in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and the Philippines. This second group was scheduled to conduct activities in Cambodia (34 members) and Laos (35 members), among others.

The province expresses regret over the suspension of volunteer activities for the climate special envoys who returned early due to local circumstances, and plans to examine measures for preparing additional programs.