'Tree, please survive!': Outcry grows after Seoul museum injects herbicide into 200-year-old ginkgo tree

Looking up the hill toward the Whanki Museum in the detached residential neighborhood of Buam-dong in Jongno District, central Seoul, a single tree stands, noticeably taller than the others.

Known locally as the "Buam-dong ginkgo tree," the towering tree is estimated to be nearly 200 years old.

Although ginkgo leaves should be a vibrant green under the summer sun, the leaves left hanging have shriveled and turned brown. In April, the Whanki Museum drilled several holes 13 centimeters (5 inches) deep into the trunk and poured herbicides into them.

The museum sought to remove the tree, claiming that its roots were causing a nearby retaining wall to collapse and posed a risk to pedestrians and traffic. But the plan was halted after residents and environmental groups protested.

When the JoongAng Ilbo visited the site on June 18, handwritten signs and notes attached to the tree read, "This tree has protected Buam-dong longer than we humans have!" and "Tree, please survive!"

The outcry from residents prompted the museum to post a public apology on the wall next to the tree.

The tree, which stands on a roadway, is said to have 49 owners. Whanki Museum previously said it had contacted the owners individually to seek a solution but received no response, leading it to attempt to remove the tree itself.

However, according to the Seoul Federation for Environmental Movement on Saturday, local residents and environmental activists plan to file complaints with Jongno Police Precinct as early as this month against Whanki Museum Director Park Mee-jung and Whanki Foundation President Jang Jae-ryong on charges of property damage and violating the Soil Environment Conservation Act.

Environmental groups and residents are demanding that the museum be held legally accountable and that efforts be made to save the tree.

The Jongno District Office has also asked the museum to restore the tree to its original condition.

Tree experts, however, say the chances of reviving it are slim.

Compounding the difficulty, the museum has not disclosed what kind of chemical was injected into the tree or how much was used. Whanki Museum is currently closed as it prepares exhibitions for the second half of the year.

"The district office has sent an official letter and plans to send another if no action is taken," a Jongno district official said.

While waiting for a response, the district office is also going to make a move and plans to designate the ginkgo tree as a "beautiful tree," a category that allows local governments to preserve and manage trees deemed worthy of protection for ecological, cultural or academic reasons.

Even that effort faces obstacles.

Because the tree has 49 owners, the district office must locate them individually and obtain their consent. Under the Civil Act, decisions regarding the management and preservation of jointly owned property require approval from holders of a majority interest.

That means consent must be obtained from at least 25 owners.

Choi Jin-woo, an expert with the federation, criticized the lengthy process.

"If the procedure is delayed, it will only provide an excuse that nothing could be done because the owners did not agree," Choi said. "The district office needs to show specifically what efforts it is making to protect the ginkgo tree as a beautiful tree."

Choi added that environmental activists had considered treating the tree themselves but were discouraged by district officials, who warned that any unintended damage could itself constitute property damage.

Whanki Museum said it is doing its best to help the tree recover and is closely monitoring its condition.

In an earlier apology, the museum said it had recognized the risk of a serious accident at a public facility frequented by residents and visitors and believed it would have been irresponsible to leave the problem unresolved simply because of procedural difficulties involving government agencies and the owners.

Kim Bo-mi, an attorney at law firm One, said Korea lacks sufficient legal protections against damage to trees that are not officially designated as street trees or protected trees.

"In some countries, even trees on private property can’t be removed arbitrarily depending on their age or size," Kim said. " Korea has many legal gaps when it comes to preventing people from easily damaging nature, and those gaps need to be addressed."

BY IM SOUNG-BIN [[email protected]]