KFS inks MOI with Forestry Agency of Japan



The Korea Forest Service and the Forestry Agency of Japan broke new ground in regional cooperation by signing a memorandum of intent on forestry on July 26.



The Memorandum of Intent on a High-level Dialogue in the Field of Forestry between the Korea Forest Service of the Republic of Korea and the Forestry Agency of Japan was inked by KFS Minister Lee Don-koo and Yoshitsugu Minagawa, the Director General of the Forestry Agency of Japan, at the Korea National Arboretum in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.



The MOI marked the first-ever cooperative move on forestry between the two neighboring countries, seeking to promote their cooperation in sustainable forest management, the use and trade of wood products and the prevention of forest disasters among others. The accord also makes the high-level meeting on forestry a regular event on a biennial basis.



“The signing of the Korea-Japan Memorandum of Intent on forestry cooperation today carries great significance in that it marks the first-ever exchange in the field of forestry between the two countries,” Minister Lee said during the meeting.



“We will make every effort to use this event as a springboard for promoting extensive cooperation in various areas of forestry.”



Japanese forest cover amounts to over 25.1 million hectares, nearly four times more than that of the Republic of Korea with 6.37 million hectares.



The KFS expects the MOI will help increase the bilateral trade volume of wood and other forest products, promote the emerging trend of forest therapy and pool their expertise on preventing forest disasters like landslides.