Jeju Air plants rare trees at Han River park in biodiversity drive

Jeju Air held an urban ecosystem restoration project at Jamsil Han River Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Saturday, in partnership with the Korea Environment Practitioners Association and the airline's employees and their families.

The initiative was designed to improve the urban ecological environment and foster coexistence with nature as green spaces in city centers have shrunk due to urbanization and industrialization, threatening ecosystem balance and biodiversity.

Participants planted 10 goldenrain trees — a rare species designated by the Korea Forest Service — across a 1,200-square-meter area within the park as part of the urban ecosystem restoration effort.

According to the Korea Environment Practitioners Association, a single goldenrain tree absorbs about 7 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year, meaning Saturday's planting is expected to deliver an annual carbon absorption of roughly 70 kilograms.

"Biodiversity conservation is one of the key activities for corporate sustainability," a Jeju Air official said. "We will continue to expand the scope of our environmental management and strengthen our biodiversity management framework through cooperation with local communities and specialized organizations."

Jeju Air has been running activities to protect the marine and coastal environment of Jeju Island since 2018. In 2021, the airline signed an agreement with the Biodiversity Foundation to support a sustainable future for the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins off Jeju's southern coast.

Since then, Jeju Air has broadened its efforts to include campaigns raising awareness of marine environmental protection and resource-recycling activities. In 2025, it joined the Business and Biodiversity Platform to strengthen the foundation for advancing its biodiversity conservation network and management framework.

Meanwhile, Jeju Air posted sales of 489.6 billion won ($367 million) and operating profit of 54.9 billion won on a standalone basis in the third quarter of this year, returning to the black after a single quarter in the red. Sales rose more than 30 percent from a year earlier.