South Korean hiker makes arty creations from trash

Niloufar Saleem, Staff Reporter

 Seeing litter on the roads or beaches may not move people who are hardly eco-friendly. But this need not mean that environmental preservation goes out of the window, the coronavirus notwithstanding.

Because there are still some people who care – for the environment, for their surroundings, to see that it is neat and tidy as far as possible.People like South Korean hiker Kim Kang-eun.

30-year-old hiker Kim Kang-eun found rubbish littered in the mountains of South Korea and decided to start making a change.

 Kim Kang-Eun, an artist who leads Clean Hikers, poses artwork made from litter.

She wanted to send a message to the world about how important it is to take care of nature.

She gathered hikers like her to help her fulfil this noble cause.

 Kim Kang-Eun and her colleagues pose with signs.

Kim makes collages with the rubbish she finds on mountain slopes to attract attention to her cause.

With curbs linked to COVID-19 having restricted indoor activities and large gatherings, more South Koreans are spending time out in the open air.

 Members of Clean Hikers make an artwork with litter they collected.

The number of visitors to three major national parks close to the country's big cities has risen more than 20 percent in October compared to the same month last year, according to the Korea National Park Service (KNPS).

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While most of that trash goes into bins, some does not, and Kim is grateful for the new surge of interest in Clean Hikers that the pandemic has also inspired.