Students from the Department of Forestry and Environmental Systems at Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung-ryul) successfully secured South Korea as the host country for the Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM) of the International Forestry Students' Association (IFSA) in 2025. Following this, the opening ceremony was successfully held at the university on Monday, June 30, 2025.

This achievement was led by three students from the Department of Forestry and Environmental Systems at Kookmin University—Shim Hyo-jin, Yang Yoon-jung, and Choi Seo-hyun—who are active members of IFSA. The three students planned and produced English promotional materials effectively highlighting the unique characteristics and advantages of South Korea’s forests. They successfully passed various evaluation processes, including on-site English interviews and presentations conducted in Nepal, the host country of the 2024 APRM. Notably, Seo-hyun Choi served as the head of the preparatory committee, working with 12 student committee members from seven universities (Kookmin University, Gangwon National University, Konkuk University, Kyungpook National University, Seoul National University, Chungbuk National University, and Gongju National University) to plan and execute the event.

The theme of the 2025 APRM is “Climate Change and Sustainable Forest Management,” with 64 forestry students from nine countries (South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Chile, Mexico, and North Macedonia) participating. The conference served as a platform for academic exchange, raising awareness of the importance of Korean forests and discussing sustainable forest management strategies.

The opening ceremony of the 2025 APRM was successfully held on June 30, 2025, at the main building of Kookmin University. The event was organized with a focus on forestry students from the Asia-Pacific region and was attended by Kim Hyung-jin, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Kookmin University; Lee Mi-ra, Deputy Director of the Forestry Agency; Nam Song-hee, Director of the International Cooperation Division; Shim Sang-taek, President of the Korea Arboretum and Botanical Garden Management Corporation; Yoo Yong-jae, Director of the Academic Scholarship Foundation; Yoon Chung-won, Vice President of the Korean Forest Science Society; Kwon Sung-ok, Representative of FSC Korea; and Nam Sung-hyun, Distinguished Professor (former Director of the Forestry Agency), among other prominent figures. The opening ceremony began with an opening address by Choi Seo-hyun, head of the preparatory committee, followed by congratulatory speeches and welcome addresses from distinguished guests, and an introduction to Kookmin University's forest science activities. The event concluded with a special lecture on “The History of Forest Restoration in Korea,” which provided an overview of the development of Korea's forests and their international value. In addition to the opening and closing ceremonies held at Kookmin University, participants visited forestry-related institutions nationwide over the course of a week to introduce Korea's advanced forest management and cutting-edge technologies to students from around the world.

This event was made possible by the active efforts of the IFSA Korea Branch (IFSA-KOREA). IFSA-KOREA is a joint academic club comprising 12 forestry departments from universities across the country, which holds annual general meetings through collaboration with domestic institutions. IFSA-KOREA aims to support its members in growing into forestry experts with diverse perspectives through active exchanges with domestic and international students.

Students from the Department of Forestry and Environmental Systems at Kookmin University will use this APRM to showcase the excellence of Korean forestry on the international stage, gain practical experience in planning and organizing international academic exchanges, and lay the groundwork for growing into global forestry leaders. Moving forward, the Department of Forestry and Environmental Systems at Kookmin University plans to continue contributing to the development of the forestry field both domestically and internationally, and take the lead in cultivating talent that will drive global collaboration and innovation in forest science.