North Gyeongsang Province conducts underwater cleanup at Dokdo

A joint public-private underwater cleanup was recently held along the coast of Dokdo, the islets off North Gyeongsang Province.

About 50 people took part in the event held Thursday, North Gyeongsang Province said Sunday. Participants included officials from Ulleung-gun, the Dokdo Guard, the North Gyeongsang Province Culture and Tourism Corporation and the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, as well as members of the Ulleung Special Rescue Unit and the Navy's 118th Early Warning Squadron based on Ulleungdo.

Ten divers from the Ulleung Special Rescue Unit, the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology's Ulleungdo-Dokdo Marine Research Station and the Navy spent an hour collecting discarded fishing gear, waste plastic and other marine debris from the waters around Dokdo.

On land, a separate cleanup effort cleared trash from the pebble beach area.

North Gyeongsang Province will load the collected waste onto its marine environment cleanup vessel, Gyeongbuk 0726, for transport to the mainland for disposal.

"Dokdo is a precious part of South Korea's maritime territory and a place that harbors an outstanding marine ecosystem," said Choi Yeong-suk, head of the province's East Sea Regional Headquarters. "Through ongoing public-private cleanup efforts, we will ensure that the clean waters of Dokdo are passed on intact to future generations."