North Gyeongsang education office wraps up Nakdong River eco-exploration project

The North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education held the closing ceremony of its 2026 Nakdong River Eco-Exploration 700 Project on Saturday at the Dasan Ginkgo Forest in Goryeong, with about 160 people in attendance, including Policy Director Park Hyeon-suk, superintendents from the Goryeong and Seongju education support offices, and local students, teachers and residents.

The project is a relay-style ecological exploration program that follows the Nakdong River from Bonghwa — the river's uppermost reaches — downstream through Goryeong and Seongju.

This year's project ran from April and brought together 290 elementary and middle school students from nine cities and counties across seven regional zones.

Traveling along the Nakdong River, students explored the ecological environments of each area, reflecting on the coexistence of humans and nature and the importance of environmental conservation in everyday life.

The Goryeong-Seongju leg marked the end of a seven-stage ecological journey completed over the course of the year.

During that day's activities, students took part in plogging — collecting litter along the riverbanks — and a hands-on water-quality analysis exercise in which they gathered samples directly from the river.

Through these activities, students reaffirmed the value of small acts of environmental stewardship and gained firsthand insight into the ecological significance of the Nakdong River.

The closing ceremony, which ran for 40 minutes beginning at 11 a.m., broke from the conventional formal program format and was held as an outdoor concert enjoyed by students, teachers and local residents.

"We will continue to share the value of ecological education with local communities and actively support students in developing a way of life that coexists with nature through next year's East Sea coast project," said Im Jong-sik, superintendent of the North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education.