Today, April 5th,... is Arbor Day in South Korea,... a day set aside once a year to promote forestation.
The South Korean government is doing its part by helping to make greener landscapes in Mongolia.
Choi Si-young has more on what the government is doing... and why.
Planting trees to reduce the concentration of yellow dust in Mongolia's vast central deserts,... to prevent that dust blowing into South Korea and darkening the sky.
That's what the Korea International Cooperation Agency aims to achieve through its forestation projects in Mongolia.
Yellow dust is made up of dry soil particles blown over from Mongolia and northern China to South Korea.
South Korea's weather agency says that, between 2002 and 2014, out of the 114 sandstorms that hit the Korean peninsula -- 92 originated from Mongolia.
"Almost 78 percent of Mongolia's land mass is desert, which negatively affects South Korea due to the yellow dust it produces. To reduce the amount of dust particles blowing in, we think forestation in Mongolia is necessary."
Since December last year, the South Korean government joined by a local NGO -- Green Asia Network -- has been planting trees in central Mongolia to prevent further desertification.
The goal is to plant around one-hundred-thousand trees.
The South Korean government says the forestation projects help people in Mongolia too,... because locals will also benefit from cleaner air AND they can sell fruit produced by the trees,... creating a new source of income.
The agency plans to run the forestation projects until 2021 and expand them,... to help other countries struggling with similar issues.
Choi Si-young, Arirang News.
