Connecting communities through environmental awareness: an interview with Ha Jun-ho

While discussions on climate change often focus on governments, corporations, and technological solutions, meaningful environmental action can also begin at the local level. In rural communities facing population decline and limited opportunities, building connections between people can be just as important as implementing new environmental policies. In this interview, Yeong-am Youth Village organizer Ha Jun-ho discussed how he uses cultural initiatives to promote environmental awareness, strengthen community ties, and support sustainable local development.

First, could you tell us a little about what you’re currently doing?

I live in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province. I used to work in construction here, but I decided I wanted to explore a wider range of activities that I’m truly passionate about, so I’ve started growing rice on a small scale. I’m also helping to run a youth village and an environmental film festival.

What inspired you to start the youth village and the environmental film festival, and what issues were you trying to address?

At first, I didn’t set out to start a “Youth Village.” I had been working in Seoul and had returned to my hometown a few years ago. When I first came back, I felt that I might be the last person left in this area—though calling that a “sense of crisis” might be a bit dramatic. I wanted to break out of that mindset and find friends here whom I could get close to, so I started community activities with that in mind.

Back in college, I used to run a community club. So, we’d watch movies and have discussions, get together for meals, and organize activities centered around our shared interests—like getting together in the countryside to hang out. It was around that time that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced the “Youth Village” project. I thought this would be a great opportunity to expand on the work I’d been planning to do. So, through the “Youth Village” project—which brings young people from other areas to live here in the countryside—I aimed to help them discover the region’s charm and provide support to those who wanted to stay.

As for the environmental film festival, this also dates back to my college days. I participated in the EBS Documentary Film Festival at the time—I don’t quite remember the title of the film now—but it made me wonder why Europeans seem to be more sensitive to issues like climate change, while Koreans seem so indifferent to it. It made me think about how Europeans constantly see those ice floes drifting down from the In contrast, even if climate change were to hit Korea hard, the four seasons would eventually return, which I think contributes to a certain insensitivity to these issues. It was because of those memories of watching a film about the North Sea ice that I began to develop an awareness of climate change. I believe that film—as a visual medium—is the most accessible way to change people’s perceptions, so I thought, “Let’s bring the kind of impact I felt in Seoul to this region as well,” so I started with the Environmental Forest Film Festival. It began as just a film festival, but for the second edition, I added the word “environment” to the title and ran it as the Soft Environment Film Festival.

Now that you’re running the Youth Village, have you noticed any actual changes in the local community? And since you mentioned earlier that you’re very interested in the environment, have you observed any shifts in awareness or improvements regarding environmental issues or the climate crisis?

It seems that awareness of environmental issues, climate change, and the energy transition tends to be higher among people who are better educated or live closer to Seoul. In fact, the people most affected by climate change—especially local climate changes—are those living in rural areas, the countryside, or by the sea, where basic infrastructure is often lacking. To help raise awareness of these issues among the local people here, we organized an environmental film festival, but honestly, it wasn’t easy.

I felt that improving awareness was difficult because the level of education in these areas was somewhat lacking, and these issues didn’t really resonate with people on a personal level. However, while organizing the environmental film festival, I did notice that some people were becoming more aware of these issues. For example, during last year’s festival, we screened Director Hwang Yoon’s film Sura, and many people were deeply moved by the film’s beauty and the message of protecting the tidal flats. In fact, the Yeongam area where I live used to have tidal flats in the past. Although that land is now being used as farmland due to land reclamation projects, I think the local community has come to realize that the conservation of such areas is also very important.

Actually, while running the Youth Village, I tried to show the young people who came here the local living conditions and the surrounding environment. Many of them said they wanted to stay and live in this area after experiencing life here. However, it was a bit challenging because the necessary conditions—such as jobs or a livable environment—weren’t quite in place.

It seems you’re facing some difficulties and limitations, but despite that, what do you think is the most important role that young people and the local community can play in solving these environmental issues?

When it comes to environmental issues, I believe the role of the local community is to meet frequently and interact often. By meeting and socializing regularly, we can organize and address the environmental agendas that arise from those interactions. The area where I live is quite rural. I often get the feeling that people in rural areas are actually quite isolated from one another. People live far apart, and public transportation isn’t very good, so I believe that meeting more often and organizing locally—not just for environmental issues but for other areas of progress as well—will help set a positive direction for the future.

What do you consider the most essential condition for continuing sustainable initatives in local villages? Or do you feel there’s anything else that needs a little more support?

Actually, I’ve recently picked up a new hobby—or rather, something I’ve been wanting to do—and I’ve gotten really into AI coding lately. I’m so absorbed in it right now—it’s the kind of work where you can basically just grab your laptop and work from anywhere. So, if we can just focus on developing our skills well, I think it would be great to plan something where like-minded people can come together here and share in the ups and downs of this journey. As for support, housing seems to be a major issue.

There’s a severe shortage of decent housing here, and many places have poor facilities, so I think a lot of support is needed in that area. I really felt that during the two years I spent at the youth village, which was run with government support, it’s really important that the local residents don’t look down on or exclude outsiders. There have been many cases where young people who came here felt this strongly and ended up leaving, so improvements in this area are needed. However, since that’s actually quite difficult, I believe that people like me need to serve as a bridge between the young people coming from outside and the local residents.

Finally, as the Yeongam Youth Village continues its activities and these young people grow while paying more attention to the environment and the climate crisis and moving toward a sustainable lifestyle, how do you think their awareness of and actions toward the climate crisis might develop and grow?

Actually, I think awareness of these issues is gradually increasing. You know how even in rural areas, people collect plastic bottles to earn coin credits? Initiatives like that have started popping up. I’ve seen students and teenagers coming here to collect those credits, and as educational programs and similar initiatives gradually increase in the region, such actions are becoming more common. 

As the festival director, last year I thought, “Let’s go big and try something like major film festivals do—assigning different themes to various sections.” But starting this year and moving forward, I’d like to run a smaller but more focused, educational-style film festival. I hope that by watching these films, these young people—just like I did as a college student—will have their perceptions of film and video improved, and that this will gradually build up awareness in the community. I’d like to develop this festival into a platform that serves as a hub for the region and I hope the region can develop in this way.