This city looks like a concrete jungle with more buildings than green.
However, much-anticipated guests are returning to the city.
Urban beekeepers bring the bees back to the city.
Let’s find out about their sweet story
This small park in the heart of the concrete jungle offers a quiet retreat from city life.
A group of people came to the park early in the morning on a weekday.
At first glance, it seemed like they came here for a walk, but now they are putting
on protective clothing.
They are here to learn how to keep bees in the city.
Run by a borough office in Seoul, this beekeeping class has had some 400 students since its
establishment in 2014.
The class runs twice a year, once in the first half and again in the second half of the year,
and it is always full.
(Korean) "I have always been concerned about food safety
and was unhappy about the watery honey that I recently purchased.
Therefore, I took part in this class to learn more about honey."
Some of them want to make their own honey while others hope to take up beekeeping professionally
in the near future.
Although they are all here for varying reasons, they all have a shared passion.
(Korean) "The importance of honeybees in our lives
made me think that urban beekeeping deserves more attention."
Each class runs for 6 months, and the students get to harvest honey as well.
The class produces an average of 500kg of honey every year, boosting the local economy.
(Korean) "This bee farm is used as a medium to increase
the bee population, preserve the ecosystem and offer practical training for students."
Due to the rapid urbanization and industrialization that took place in the city, flowers, trees,
and forestland were decimated, pushing honeybees to the brink of extinction.
The problem is all sorts of fruit and vegetables are pollinated by honeybees, therefore, the
extinction of bees could mean the end of humanity.
With a clear purpose, this urban beekeeping class was initiated as part of the environmental
preservation campaign that began in Europe in 2000.
(Korean) "We hope to prove that cities can also be
home to wild bees and that we can make cities more ecologically friendly with bees.
That’s one of the factors that distinguishes urban beekeeping from traditional beekeeping."
Haebangchon is one of the oldest neighborhoods in central Seoul with some urban beekeepers
on the rooftop.
Among them are Yoo Ah-reum and Lee Jong-cheol.
The two have been beekeeping in this area for 4 years.
They check their hives once a week, something they anticipate.
(Korean) "We have to check the bees on a regular basis
to prevent any damage from harmful insects and maintain the ideal environment for them
to breed.
It’s one of the most important factors in beekeeping."
Now they know how comfortable or uncomfortable their bees are just by the buzzing, but things
were very difficult in the beginning.
(Korean) "We have faced many unexpected challenges
since we started this bee farm.
For example, bees died all of a sudden, and the weather was unfavorable for beekeeping
at times, too."
In particular, the public’s general fear of bees is an ongoing challenge.
But that fear is derived from a general misunderstanding of honeybees.
As opposed to predatory wasps, honeybees rarely attack unless they are in danger.
In an effort to break down that preconception, the two started collective beekeeping with
their neighbors this year in which they had to build another bee farm in the neighborhood
and provide adequate instruction.
(Korean) "People are generally scared of bees, but
they are beginning to understand the importance of bees to our environment.
Now that we can organize many events related to bees here in the city, public perception
toward bees is changing."
This neighborhood is located at the foot of Namsan Mountain where wildflowers are everywhere.
However, since the habitat is located in a residential area, the urban beekeepers sowed
some honey plants for the bees.
(Korean) "We try to plant flowers or trees whenever
we can.
Bees will benefit from those plants, and so will humans emotionally from watching flowers
bloom and plants bear fruit."
Creating a good environment for bees is the first and most important step to creating
a good environment for humans.
What needs to be done for these urban beekeepers to revive the urban ecological system?
(Korean) "I hope to build more bee farms in places
like schools so that we can keep bees close to the public, especially children."
Urban beekeeping protects both the city-environment and bees.
All eyes are focused on this sweet strategy to preserve the city as well as its potential.