By Kim Eun-young and Yoon Sojung
Video = Cheong Wa Dae’s YouTube account

Cheong Wa Dae on May 27 released a special video of President Moon Jae-in three days ahead of the opening of the 2021 P4G (Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030) Seoul Summit.

In the 37-minute clip, he is shown walking around the presidential office with actress Park Jin-hee and TV personality Tyler Rasch, while discussing the significance of the upcoming summit and his views on food security, policy toward response to climate change and individual daily actions to protect the environment.

Park is known for her environment protection activism while Rasch is PR ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund.

President Moon said it is important that people not consider individual actions as useless, adding that small actions by individuals are more important than cooperation among governments and countries to protect the planet and the environment.

In the video, he introduced eating vegetarian on Earth Day (April 22) as his personal pro-environment practice. 

Asked what he would do if president of Earth, he stressed the importance of reducing waste in the oceans through efforts like a transition toward the use of biodegradable and eco-friendly fishing gear.

Saying Korea tops the world in the consumption of marine products, he called marine waste "the most worrisome thing" and stressed keeping such products healthy.

On his 2050 carbon neutrality goal, he said his administration is devising a scenario to achieve the objective by the target year and making a road map for each related sector.

Turning to hydrogen power, the president said Korea is the first country to commercialize hydrogen vehicles, the biggest exporter of them and the nation with the most hydrogen cars. He also shared his experience of test-driving Korea's first exported hydrogen car in Paris during a 2018 visit to Europe.

On criticism over a photo taken early in his term of him and his secretaries walking around the presidential office while drinking coffee in disposable cups, he said everyone in Cheong Wa Dae is now using tumblers or personal cups.

Introducing a tree growing at Cheong Wa Dae, the president said that if he could be reborn, he wants to major in dendrology and live freely within nature.

eykim86@korea.kr