Save the Children Korea Leadership Team visits Mongolia

Senior representatives from Save the Children Korea, led by Gabriel Taeyoung Jung, CEO of Save the Children Korea, visited Mongolia from 19 to 23 October 2025. The team included Jong Yil Lim, CMO, Sookyoung Lee, Corporate Fundraising Team Lead, Ji Won Choi, Philanthropy Fundraising Team Lead and Jae Kwang Lee, Global Strategy Director.

The visit aimed to review the progress and achievements of My Forest Child project, funded by Save the Children Korea and implemented by Save the Children Mongolia. They discussed the project’s expansion opportunities with Save the Children Mongolia office, while also learning about successful national reforestation efforts, government policies on climate action, and future cooperation between Save the Children Mongolia and Save the Children Korea.

The visit began on 20 October with a field trip to My Forest Child project site, where the delegation participated in tree planting activity. They also visited Golomt Complex School in Nalaikh district, the “Korean Air Forest” in Baganuur District, and the Nalaikh District Governor’s Office. Read more about this here.

Engagement with Members of Parliament

   

On 22 October, CEO Gabriel Taeyoung Jung and the representatives, accompanied by Save the Children Mongolia Country Manager Bayan-Altai Luvsandorj, met with Beisen Bulan, member of Parliament and chair of the Standing Committee on Environment, Food, and Agriculture and MP Amgalanbaatar Ochirbat. During the meeting, Country Manager Bayan-Altai Luvsandorj presented the organization’s ongoing environmental projects and explained the purpose of the Korean Leadership Team’s visit.

CEO Gabriel Taeyoung Jung emphasized the importance of environmental education for young people, stating: “Teaching children about the negative impacts of climate change and the importance of tree planting at an early age is far more effective than doing so later in life. That’s why we implement My Forest Child project with strong participation from children and youth”.

MP Beisen Bulan outlined the Standing Committee’s key areas of work, noting the impact of climate change on herders and their children. “Our committee consists of thirty members and focuses on protecting the environment and mitigating climate change. As part of the ‘Billion Trees’ national campaign, tree planting efforts are ongoing across all provinces. We also promote vegetable and fruit cultivation nationwide,” he said.

MP Amgalanbaatar Ochirbat, who previously served as Governor of Gobi-Altai province, wished the delegation success and shared his experience working with Save the Children Mongolia. “When I was Governor, we successfully implemented several joint projects with Save the Children Mongolia. Collaborating with international organizations in local communities brings tangible results. I believe we should plant not only trees but income-generating trees’’ he said.

He recalled that four years ago, the province planted 40,000 apple saplings. “After three years, each tree yielded about 15 kilograms of apples, sold for 12,000–15,000 MNT per kilogram. In the future, each apple tree could generate up to 1.5 million MNT in income,” he added, sharing a video of the apple orchard project with the visitors.

Support from the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office

   

Senior representatives from Save the Children Korea, together with the leadership and staff of Save the Children Mongolia, met with representatives from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia, Member of Parliament Amarsaikhan Sainbuyan.

B. Batbyamba, Chief Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Office, noted that MP Amarsaikhan Sainbuyan represents the districts of Nalaikh, Baganuur, and Bagakhangai, areas facing multiple challenges, including air pollution. “The Deputy Prime Minister believes that My Forest Child project will make a significant contribution to addressing this issue and is paying close attention to its progress,” B. Batbyamba said.

Save the Children Korea’s Chief Executive Officer, Gabriel Taeyoung Jung, introduced the organization’s work and explained the reason behind launching a forest-focused project in Mongolia. “Save the Children recognized that environmental and climatic factors are increasingly affecting children’s rights. Since 2019, we have been implementing additional projects focused on the environment. Our environmental initiatives are designed for children to raise their ecological awareness and provide environmental education” he said.

He added that Save the Children has implemented numerous projects across Asia and began operations in Mongolia in 2024. “In Mongolia, the project is designed to engage children directly; they plant trees, share their tree planting experiences with one another, and take part in educational sessions,” Gabriel Taeyoung Jung emphasized.

Guidance from the National Forest Agency

   

The delegation from Save the Children Korea met with B. Ganzorig, Director of Forest Rehabilitation Department of National Forest Agency, Government of Mongolia and B. Usukhbayar, Senior specialist in Reforestation and Forest Restoration.

Director B. Ganzorig introduced the Forest Agency’s policies and objectives. “Our country’s main approach to combating climate change is through planting trees. The foundation for My Fores Child project’s success is its reliance on local communities and collaboration with local government authorities. Reforestation projects in Mongolia implemented with support from South Korea have been successful because they are community based,” he said.

Save the Children Korea CEO Gabriel Taeyoung Jung explained the organization’s experience and purpose in Mongolia. “The world shares a common goal of fighting climate change, and South Korea has focused heavily on this issue over the past 20–30 years. Save the Children Korea implements projects across Asia to create greener environments. In Mongolia, we have been running our first project for over a year. We also reviewed some earlier projects funded by South Korea, which succeeded because they started early. This visit allowed us to learn from those experiences” he said.

The Forest Agency’s mandate is to maintain ecological balance, ensure environmental sustainability, and enhance human quality of life by preventing resource depletion and degradation, restoring and reforesting land, expanding forested areas and promoting sustainable forest management. The agency provides high level professional and managerial services to implement government policies in these areas.

Visit to Yuhan Kimberly Forest in Tujiin Nars

   

On 21 October, the leadership and representatives visited the Yuhan Kimberly Forest in the Tuj Pine Forest, which spans Shaamar, Altanbulag, and Sukhbaatar soums in Selenge Province. At the request of Mongolia’s Ministry of Environment, South Korea’s Yuhan Kimberly Company, in partnership with the Northeast Asian Forest Forum, began forest restoration work in the area in 2003.

During the introduction, G. Otgondulam, specialist for Tourism, Training, and Public Relations at the Protected Area, noted: “Selenge Province covers 4.2 million hectares, of which 2.2 million hectares are forest. The Tuj Pine Nature Reserve occupies 0.3 percent of this forest land and was designated as a protected area in 2002”

2003. Khishigt, Forest Engineer and Natural Resources Specialist of the Protected Area, provided details about the Yuhan Kimberly Forest. In the northern part of the Tuj Pine Nature Reserve, the Yuhan Kimberly Company financed reforestation on 3,000 hectares with approximately 10 million seedlings starting in 2003. While the first ten years focused on planting, the second phase contract, initiated in 2015, has concentrated on caring for the planted trees. Although around 70 percent of the original forest was lost, about 90 percent has now been successfully restored.

The visit of Save the Children Korea’s CEO and leadership team to Mongolia from 19 to 23 October 2025 was concluded successfully. Bayan-Altai Luvsandorj, Country Manager of Save the Children Mongolia, highlighted the outcomes:

“This was the first time that the full leadership team from Save the Children Korea visited Mongolia. Together, we conducted a series of highly productive meetings in a short period of time. During the visit, the delegation met with project beneficiaries, local and national government leaders, and gained insights into Mongolia’s policies and strategies for mitigating climate change. They also visited environmental projects in Mongolia funded by Korean companies such as Korean Air and Yuhan Kimberly. In addition, discussions were held on future collaboration between Save the Children Mongolia and Korea and on projects to be implemented soon. This visit significantly strengthened cooperation between the two offices, improved mutual understanding, and proved highly productive” Bayan-Altai Luvsandorj said.