-Together with local governments, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will conduct a volunteer-based beach clean-up program in full swing-

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister MOON, Seong-Hyeok) has announced that it will sign Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) on a volunteer-based coastal clean-up program called “Banryeo-Beach (반려해변)” with the local governments of Incheon City, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Chungcheongnam-do on Friday 4 June, in addition to the MoU signed with Jeju-do in 2020. With these four local governments, the Ministry will implement the “Banryeo-Beach” program in their local beaches in earnest.

The “Banryeo-Beach” program provides an opportunity for businesses, organizations, or school groups to participate in beach cleanups and debris removal from their section of beach. As a Korean word Banryeo (반려) means a companion or partner in English, the program desires participants to take care of their designated beach as their companion or partner. This program is similar to an “Adopt-A-Beach” program that began first in Texas in the U.S. in 1986 and has become popular across the country and the world, including the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.

Under this MoU, the local governments aim to offer support to participants in choosing their beach and handling collected debris while the MOF and the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation (KOEM) will focus on not only the development of a “Banryeo-Beach” Handbook and Volunteer Awards program, but also the promotion of the initiative across the nation. Starting with the four local governments this year, the Ministry will expand the implementation of the program to 11 local governments in the coastal region.

In 2020, the MOF held a Korean naming contest to seek a more appealing name to local residents instead of using “Adopt-A-Beach”, and “Banryeo-Beach (반려해변)” has been selected as an official name. Meanwhile, pilot projects were carried out by JejuBeer, HiteJinro and the Government Employees Pension Service in Geumneung Beach, Pyoseon Beach, and Jungmun Saekdal Beach in the Jeju Island, respectively.

This year, a “Banryeo-Beach” Handbook has been developed to streamline the operation of the program after taking into account areas of improvement in the pilot projects. The handbook describes participation period, benefits, and way to participate. Moreover, to attract more participation and give participants a sense of pride, a variety of rewards and recognition programs have been put in place, including granting awards to participants and installing standing banners at beaches. Through diverse channels including mass media and SNS, participants and their clean-up activities will be recognized to further promote the program. 

The “Banryeo-Beach” program is open to any business, group, or school interested in making contribution to the preservation of the coastal environment. Once registered, program participants are required to clean up their designated beach at least three times a year for a renewable two-year term and also launch a campaign at least once a year to raise public awareness about marine pollution. In addition, all participants must report debris collected including the quantity on the Clean Swell app.

“Considering the fact that the total length of the coastline of the Korean Peninsula is about 15,000km, the government’s marine debris collection policy alone is not enough to collect all marine debris and litters,” said CHOI Seong-yong, Director of Marine Conservation Division at the MOF. “Program participants will see debris and litters on beach with their own eyes and feel the severity of marine pollution in the process of clean-up and debris removal. I hope that the Banryeo-Beach program will lead to changing participants’ daily routines in an effort to save the ocean.”

Furthermore, the MOF will develop an online platform jointly with the KOEM this year where the private sector, including civil society and businesses, can be closely connected and share marine pollution-related contents or human and physical resources with one another. Building on this platform, the MOF plans to elevate the “Banryeo-Beach” program beyond beach clean-ups to a new level where participants can involve themselves in regional landscape improvement projects as well as education and direct experience programs on marine conservation.

Groups interested in volunteering at a beach in the Jeju Island can contact either the Jeju city office of Korea Saemaul Undong Center (KSUC) at 064-722-2425 or the Seogwipo city office of KSUC at 064-739-7836. Groups interested in choosing a beach in Incheon City, Gyeongsangnam-do, or Chungcheongnam-do can contact the KOEM at 02-3498-8569.