The following are notes from my October 27-November 8, 2012 visit to North Korea. I was the guest of North Korea’s foremost ornithologist, Dr. Park U Il of the State Academy of Sciences (SAOS), with whom ICF has been working since my first visit in 2008. From our base at the Pyongyang Hotel, we traveled to three important sites for Red-crowned Cranes.
September 26 through October 5, I had the pleasure of visiting the Republic of Korea (South Korea) as a guest of social scientist and conservationist from Kyunghee University, Ms. Sunyoung Bak, with whom ICF has collaborated for the past decade. Through lectures, meetings, field trips, and the media, with Sunyoung as my gifted interpreter, we shared with many – from farmers to leaders – the importance of the conservation of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the bordering Civilian Controlled Zone (CCZ)…