Former Korea National Park Service chief appointed to head South Gyeongsang environmental foundation

South Gyeongsang Province appointed Song Hyeong-geun, former chairman of the Korea National Park Service, as the new chief executive of the South Gyeongsang Province Environmental Foundation on Monday. Song's two-year term runs from Nov. 9, 2026, to Nov. 8, 2028.

At an appointment ceremony held at the South Gyeongsang Provincial Government building that day, Administrative Deputy Governor Park Il-ung presented Song with his certificate. "Protecting the aquatic ecosystem of the Nakdong River and achieving carbon neutrality in the region are tasks of our time that cannot be delayed for a single moment," Park said. "Please draw on your wealth of administrative experience to deliver environmental policies that residents can truly feel."

Song entered public service in 1990 through the 26th technical civil service examination and spent 34 years in environmental administration. He served as director general of the Ministry of Environment's Natural Environment Policy Bureau, chief of the Metropolitan Air Quality Management Office, chief of the Daegu Regional Environment Office and chief of the Nakdong River Basin Environment Office, before serving as chairman of the Korea National Park Service for three years beginning in 2021. During his tenure as head of the Nakdong River Basin Environment Office, Song earned recognition for field-oriented administration, engaging residents and civic groups on water quality improvement and the diversification of water intake sources.

Song outlined three priorities: preserving South Gyeongsang's distinctive ecological resources and promoting eco-tourism, expanding the foundation for carbon neutrality centered on industrial complexes, and addressing Nakdong River water quality through hands-on field responses. "The foundation will serve as a hub connecting the central government, South Gyeongsang Province, residents and local businesses," Song said. "We will expand resident-participatory environmental education and build this into a first-rate environmental institution."