Busan is good

Haeundae Arboretum to Host “Kids Expedition Team” Eco-Exploration (Ecotiering) Program in the Second Half of the Year

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The Green City Development Office announced that it will host the “Kids Expedition Team” program (hereinafter referred to as “the event”) at Haeundae Arboretum in cooperation with the Korea National Arboretum and The Nature Holdings Co., Ltd. (National Geographic Apparel Kids).
○ The event, held at Haeundae Arboretum (hereinafter referred to as “the arboretum”), a well-established landmark in Busan, is designed to highlight the value of forests by linking nature and forest experience programs offered at the arboretum.

The Kids Expedition Team is an eco-exploration (Ecotiering) program where children, accompanied by their guardians, navigate the arboretum with maps and compasses while carrying out assigned missions.

• ●Ecotiering: A compound word combining “Ecology” and “Orienteering,” a sport in which participants use a map and compass to find their way.
  ○ The event will be held twice, on September 20 and September 27.
  ○ Participants will explore the arboretum using an ecological exploration map and complete hidden missions. In the process, team members will engage in educational and experiential activities, such as identifying traces of various forest organisms in the arboretum.
  ○ The Korea National Arboretum will share program operations and methods; The Nature Holdings Co., Ltd. (National Geographic Apparel Kids) will support and sponsor program operations, including recruitment and publicity; and Haeundae Arboretum will oversee program implementation and facilitation.

Applications can be submitted by adding “National Geographic Apparel Kids” as a KakaoTalk Plus Friend and using the “Kids Expedition Team Application” option at the bottom of the chat window.
○ The application deadline is August 31. Eligibility is limited to elementary school students in grades 3–6, or children of equivalent age, who must form a team with one guardian.
○ Thirty teams per event day will be selected by lottery, and final team members will be notified individually by text message on September 4.

Meanwhile, the event was launched as a pilot program in 2023 by the Korea National Arboretum and The Nature Holdings Co., Ltd. (National Geographic Apparel Kids), and since 2024 it has been expanded to public and private arboreta nationwide.*

• ●Arboreta hosting the program in 2024: 7 locations (including the Korea National Arboretum and Haeundae Arboretum); in 2025: 3 locations (Korea National Arboretum, Haeundae Arboretum, and Yeongheung Arboretum).
  ○ Last year, a total of 98 teams and 368 participants joined the program across the spring and fall sessions. Notably, during recruitment for the first half of this year (capacity: 60 teams), 916 teams applied, with 59 teams (188 participants) ultimately taking part, demonstrating enthusiastic interest.

Han Young-jin, Director of the Green City Development Office, stated, “We hope that future generations will joyfully experience the diverse aspects of the forest while learning to appreciate its value,” adding, “We ask for the active interest and participation of our citizens.”