SEOUL, Sept. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – On September 19, just days before South Korea’s Youth Day, environmental activists and young people gathered in the heart of Seoul to sound the alarm on the climate crisis and call for a more sustainable economic model.
The demonstration, organized by Greenpeace Korea, took place at Star Square near Sinchon Station, a bustling area frequented by university students.
Participants used dramatic visual aids to underscore their message, including a massive screen depicting a burning Earth and a 4-meter-long mock invoice detailing the “side effects” of GDP.
“By focusing solely on GDP as the primary measure of our economic and social progress, we’re neglecting crucial values,” said a Greenpeace spokesperson.
The organization argues that the current government’s climate policies fall far short of scientific recommendations, suggesting that maintaining the present socioeconomic structure is incompatible with effectively addressing the climate crisis.
The oversized invoice highlighted several key issues that the activists claim are overlooked in the pursuit of GDP growth.
These include the acceleration of intergenerational climate inequality, skyrocketing electricity bills due to heat waves, and South Korea’s bottom-ranking position in happiness indices among OECD countries.
According to the demonstrators, these points illustrate how an overemphasis on GDP is coming at the cost of both present social values and the future prospects of young people.
Image credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
