Korean Federation for Environmental Movement
THE Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (Kfem) was founded in April 1993. This relatively short history was, however, preceded by a decade-long history of environmental movement.
Mr.Choi Yul was a democratic movement leader in university, and was later imprisoned for his activism against the dictatorial government during the late 1970s. During the six years he spent in prison, he read extensively about environmental issues.
Formation of Kriep
After he was released, he founded the first environmental non- governmental organization in South Korea,the Korean Research Institute of Environmental Problems (Kriep), in response to widespread pollution caused by the nation’s rapid industrialization.
The Institute inspired people to demand their rights to a healthy environment. It succeeded in evacuating communities of 40,000 people affected by an illness caused by toxic wastes from a nonferrous metal industrial complex in the coastal city of Onsan.
Environmental issues became critical strongholds in the democracy movement that paved the way for a civilian government.
Formation of Kapma
In 1988, Kriep merged with two other environmental groups and established the Korean Anti-Pollution Movement Association (Kapma)and Mr. Choi became the president of the Kapma.
Kapma actively participated in every environmental struggle from 1988 to 1992. It fought against the government’s attempts to construct nuclear waste storage sites, the dust contamination from coal briquette plants, the destruction of mountains to make golf courses and the reclamation of coastal tidal-flats.
Since South Korea is highly dependent upon nuclear power, Kapma informed the Korean public about the problems with nuclear power plants and nuclear waste disposal.
Tens of thousands of people participated in rallies and signed petitions protesting the construction of new nuclear plants and nuclear waste storage sites. In 1990, a demonstration of 20,000 people stopped a nuclear waste facility plan for Anmyon-do Island.
In 1991, Kapma organized massive campaigns to protest the toxic spill from an electronics company that contaminated the drinking water of two million people in Daegu City. This incident served as a warning to government and industry of the people’s concern for the environment.
Formation of Kfem
In 1993, Kapma united with seven local environmental groups to launch the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (Kfem),Korea’s largest environmental organization, and Mr.Choi became its secretary general.
Kfem has initiated a consumers’ boycott of polluting industries, while continuing to oppose Korea’s nuclear expansion policies. In 1994, Kfem succeeded in helping to force the cancellation of the plan to construct a nuclear waste storage facility on Gulup island.
After participating the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio De Janeiro in 1992, Kfem became more involved in global environmental issues, such as depletion of the ozone layer, deforestation, biodiversity and climate change.
Kfem has grown to be the biggest and the most influential NGO in Korea, with its 85,000 members and 47 local branches working on various types of environmental issues.
Activities
Acting as an information clearing house, it collects, studies and disseminates information on global trends to Korean society and to NGOs throughout the region. Kfem also acts as a role model to other East and Southeast Asian country NGOs by sharing their experience.
From 1998, Kfem has organized more international conferences and exchange programs with NGOs from other countries, particularly those in the Asia. It is hoped that the cooperation with other environmental groups in Asia will foster stronger international bonds leading to more effective cooperative action on Asian and global environmental issues.
Additionally, Kfem has been involved in many social issues, such as poverty, human rights, women’s rights and peace issues. Kfem raised these issues to Korean and International Society participating in the NGO Forum on Women in Beijing, 1995; World Summit for Social Development & NGO Forum in Copenhagen 1995; UN Conference on Human Settlements in Istanbul, 1996; and the World Summit for Social Development in Geneva, 2000.