PART TWO: Where The Trees Have Names

Our sustainability group gathered in the garden of the Seoul KFEM headquarters to learn about the work of environmental activist Haemin Cho (left) with translation assistance from SeeArt Foundation Chief Strategy Officer Yoonmi Eom (right).

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This is part two of three from my reflections on the NEXT Library Satellite Seoul conference. Read part one here.

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Sitting beneath a 400-year-old tree in the garden of the Seoul Korea Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM) headquarters, it’s easy to forget you’re in a city of 9.5 million people. Birds soar from tree to tree, chattering in greeting. Happy bugs buzz around us in the warm summer afternoon as our group gathered in the tree’s generous shade. 

Our sustainability group, funded by the Danish Ministry of Culture, has come a long way since last May, when we attended our first camp at Dokk1 in Aarhus, Denmark; and then our second camp at the Library Field in Ossining, NY, last October. Here we were together again, in Seoul, for our third and final camp preceding the NEXT Library Satellite Seoul conference.

Stunning architectural details of the library's exterior, once the home of LG's chairman Cha-Kyung Koo and designed by architect Kim Swoo-geun.

Planned by our exceptional hosts Yoonmi Eom and Keewon Moon of the SeeArt Foundation, the day started with a rare private tour of the LG Sangnam Library. Once the residence of LG’s chairman Cha-Kyung Koo, and designed by renowned architect Kim Swoo-geun, the impressive dwelling now houses Korea’s first digital library. 

LG Sangnam Library’s work has evolved over the years, and one of its newest initiatives focuses on literacy for deaf and blind readers. In 2025, they launched the Deafblind Braille Education Program to train tactile sign language interpreters, who then act as braille instructors for deafblind individuals. 

According to the library’s website, “Deafblind individuals—those with both visual and hearing impairments—numbered around 10,000 in Korea as of late 2023. However, because deafblindness is not officially recognized among the 15 legal categories of disability, they remain in a welfare blind spot, excluded from many legal and institutional supports in daily life.”

Our sustainability group posing in the garden of the LG Sangnam Library with our host San Sun Park during our May visit.

By making braille more accessible, the goal is to build critical communication skills that support independent living and greater societal participation for students in the program. 

San Sun Park, Operations Team leader at the LG Yonam Foundation and LG Sangnam Library, presented on the organization’s current work, and then led us through the stunning home-turned-library. His passion was palpable while seamlessly pointing out architectural details of the space and discussing the library’s work. Curves in wood and tiles throughout the building intentionally contrast the hard lines of its exterior. Living rooms where three generations of families once gathered are now converted to classrooms and meeting rooms for students. Serene gardens and green spaces provide opportunities to connect with nature on the property.

We found ourselves in a very different type of oasis sitting at Seoul KFEM, transitioning from extravagance to simplicity, yet no less impressive. While it was easy to forget the hustle and bustle of the metropolis sitting under that 400-year-old tree, that isn’t Haemin Cho’s intent. An activist and eco-city team member with Seoul KFEM, she doesn’t want people to forget where they are, but help people see “urban nature within its unique context.” 

“The street trees are between infrastructures and living beings. Insects are not just nuisances or just pests to be eradicated, but they are non-human neighbors we must learn to coexist with,” she shared. 

The practices Seoul KFEM uses to grow community towards activism are thrilling. Their City Tree Club is described as “people protecting trees with friendship.” Participants log onto a web-based community map to identify, name and record the current state of trees in their neighborhoods, providing a whole new relationship with the urban landscape and the living things within. Earthworm Rescue Squads (yes, rescue squads!) rescue stranded earthworms on pavement to return to soil, and encourage participants to share photos in a group chat. In addition to these community science initiatives, they hosted a 2026 Multi-species City Forum to discuss the concept of “eco-city” and “reimagine urban spaces for shared habitats for both humans and diverse non-human beings,” as Haemin described in her presentation.

A screenshot of the City Tree Club app (translated to English using Google Translate).

Haemin’s quiet power as she spoke about her work was captivating. My brain sparked with so many ideas of how these engagements could be applied in libraries here in the U.S. and at the Anythink Nature Library, opening Aug. 8, 2026. 

I was so inspired, I came home and named three trees in my yard so far: Peary Manilow, Fiona Crabapple, and Bonita Applebum, inspired by the A Tribe Called Quest song. 

While this last camp brings this portion of our work to a close, the group’s future is still to be determined. Yet the interconnectedness of our nature-based endeavors is strong, and we’ll continue to lean on each other for inspiration, support, collaboration and friendship. I’m so grateful for the experiences I’ve had with our colleagues from around the world representing Aarhus Public Libraries (Denmark), Alameda County Library (U.S.), Froghouse (U.S.), Metropolitan New York Library Council (U.S.), and SeeArt Foundation (Korea). The threads continue to weave and, I believe, will lead to future collaborative action. 

To think, it all started with one tiny seed at NEXT in 2023 – a conversation over lunch among a small group of friends devoted to libraries and the natural world.