'No more hardship — live happily in clean Yeongwol': 200 stag beetles released into protected wetland

"No more hardship, flat-headed stag beetle — let's live happily together here in clean Yeongwol."

A special release event recently drew attention in Yeongwol-gun, a county known as the "city where kings dwell."

While wildlife releases typically focus on birds and marine animals, this one was different: the subjects were insects.

According to Yeongwol-gun on Tuesday, local public and private organizations recently released 200 flat-headed stag beetles along the wetland ecology trail in Sincheon-ri, Hanbando-myeon.

The event was organized to breed species inhabiting the Korean Peninsula Wetland, preserve biodiversity and build a healthy wetland ecosystem.

Students, local residents and representatives from regional cement companies took part, each releasing beetles by hand — 100 male-female pairs, 200 in total.

Yeongwol is now poised to strengthen its reputation as an eco-friendly, coexistence-minded city — one that shares its space with the diverse insects that have vanished elsewhere in the wake of development.

Educational materials and the beetles themselves were supplied by the Donggang Biology Project, an affiliate agency of Yeongwol-gun. The agency promotes preservation of the local ecological environment, insect research and agricultural product analysis technology development.

Yeongwol-gun said it hopes the event gave participants a firsthand opportunity to experience and understand the importance of biodiversity and wetland ecosystem conservation.

"This became an opportunity for local residents and students to participate directly and learn about the value of life and the importance of preserving the wetland ecosystem," Yeongwol County Chief Kim Gil-su said. "We will continue to work with local residents to protect the ecological environment of the Korean Peninsula Wetland."