S. Korea celebrates its 73rd Arbor Day

산림 가치 일깨우는 식목일, 73번째 맞이 April 5th marks Arbor Day or Sikmogil here in Korea. Although the day stopped being a public holiday in 2005, various groups in government offices, schools, and workplaces are still carrying on with the tradition of tree-planting every year. More than 100 people have gathered here to plant around 5000 pine trees for Arbor Day. Although this practice can still be seen today in South Korea, with each year that passes, this sight is becoming increasingly harder to come by. Over the past decade, the number of trees planted in Gyeonggi-do Province decreased by around 20 percent to 2-point-5 million trees last year while the area decreased by around 16 percent. However, experts say the decrease isn't necessarily a negative sign. “Korea is considered a pretty successful case of reforestation. It's just less common to plant trees than before because we have less land to fill up.“ What's also changed over the years is the types of trees planted. The most popular choice for refor