SEOUL, May 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Major South Korean financial holding firm KB Financial Group Inc. has launched a drive to restore the honeybee ecosystem amid a sharp decline in the number of honeybees due to climate change.
The group said Wednesday it will create a forest by planting 100,000 honey source trees such as oriental raisin trees and yellow poplars in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province over the next four years in collaboration with tree-planting social company Tree Planet.
Honey source trees are those that provide nutrients to honeybees. A honey source forest will also be created in the Uljin in North Gyeongsang Province, which suffered not only a drop in the number of honeybees but also a forest fire this year.
In addition, the group’s subsidiary KB Kookmin Bank plans to distribute 10,000 honey source tree planting kits to customers through its branches.
As part of efforts to create a habitat for honeybees, KB Financial Group joined hands with an urban bee-keeping social company Urban Bees last month to create a bee farm on the rooftop of KB Kookmin Bank’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul.
About 120,000 honeybees can live at the bee farm. The honey collected from the bee farm will be donated to low income families.
Image Credit: KB Financial Group Inc. / photonews@koreabizwire.com
