[Field Sketch] SGIs Clean Up Silmido Beach with @My_TrashMan Seok-Hoon Kim
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On June 28, under overcast skies that threatened rain, Climatus College teamed up with SGI Dream Partners and actor Seok-Hoon Kim, who runs the YouTube channel “My Trash Man,” to carry out a beach cleanup at Silmido Beach in Incheon.
According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, approximately 145,000 tons of marine debris enter Korea's oceans every year, and about 65% of it originates on land. The trash we carelessly discard travels from city streets and rivers into the ocean, creating not only an eyesore but also a global threat to marine ecosystems and human health.
Yuna Lee, head of marine environmental group ReDi, gives a talk on the issue of ocean waste.
More than 140,000 tons of marine litter are introduced into Korean seas each year, stemming from various sources such as farming and fishing activities, beach leisure activities, and natural disasters like typhoons.
This trash poses a threat to marine life, leads to economic losses in the fishing industry, and even lowers the ocean’s ability to store carbon—exacerbating climate change.
Participants reflected on the gravity of the problem and the importance of their actions, moving beyond simple cleanup efforts to share a sense of why we must act and what we’re responsible for.
Styrofoam, discarded fishing nets, plastic shards, glass bottles, clothing, and shoes—trash of all kinds was found scattered across the beach. Some waste was buried deep in the sand and had to be dug out with shovels, while others like tangled nets in tree branches required teamwork to remove.
Litter such as tableware left behind after camping revealed that Silmido’s pollution isn’t just due to trash drifting in from elsewhere, but also the result of everyday human negligence.
The total amount of waste collected that day was 263.4 kg, filling 27 large bags.
Many participants were shocked at how much trash had been gathered in just a few hours. One remarked, “It’s hard to believe this all came from just one day. The reality is worse than I imagined.”
Faced with the seriousness of marine waste, participants committed to expanding their efforts to reduce daily waste generation.
You don’t have to go far to make a difference.
Whether it’s plogging along the Han River, reducing single-use products, or taking care of your own trash, small, consistent actions in our everyday lives can become the first step toward protecting both the ocean and ourselves.
▶ [Watch the “My Trash Man” Silmido Beach Cleanup Video]
https://youtu.be/qICks51V4c4?si=c8ErzSm9FY1ouDDv
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