Seminars

The Korea Institute of Child Care and Education (KICCE, President Park Sanghee) co-hosted the 2023 KICCE Policy Debate with the office of National Assemblywoman Kim Mi-Ae and the Korea Environment Institute (KEI) on Thursday, May 18,  2023. The debate focused on the "Direction and Challenges of Climate Change Policy for Future Generations of Infants and Children" and was held at 2:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the National Assembly Library in Yeouido. This event was part of the collaborative research initiative called "Establishing a Roadmap and Implementation Plan for Climate Crisis Adaptation for Future Generations," led by the National Economic, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Council (NRC).

The discussion, moderated by Lee Jae-hee, head of the Low Birthrate and Childcare Support Research Team at the KICCE, commenced with opening remarks from Kim Mi-ae, a member of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Climate Crisis, and Park Sang-hee, President of the Childcare Policy Institute. Jung Hae-koo, Chairperson of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Science, delivered welcoming remarks. The discussion was sponsored by the Ministry of Environment, and Mr. Geum Han-seung, Deputy Minister of the Climate Change and Carbon Neutral Policy Office, delivered a congratulatory speech on behalf of the ministry.

The keynote lecture, titled "Carbon Neutrality and Care," was presented by Dr. Lee Chang-hoon, President of the KEI. Dr. Lee discussed the current state and causes of climate damage resulting from global interconnectedness, as well as the 2030 carbon neutrality goal and corresponding implementation strategies.

The first presentation, titled "Climate Change Awareness and Support Needs: Focusing on Parents of Infants and Toddlers, Kindergartens, and Children's Centers," was delivered by Moon Mugyeong, Director of the Office of International Research and Data Analysis. During the presentation, Director Moon shared the key findings of a survey conducted with 1,012 parents and 922 teachers from kindergartens and children's centers. Furthermore, Director Moon provided valuable policy suggestions based on the survey results.

The second presentation, titled "Strategies for Mainstreaming Infants and Children in Climate Change Adaptation Policies," was given by Jung Dawoon, a researcher at the KEI. During the presentation, she analyzed the trends in climate change adaptation policies concerning infants and children. She emphasized the necessity of strategies that focus on mainstreaming infants and children in climate change adaptation policies, as well as promoting "climate literacy" among children.

Following the presentations, a discussion was moderated by Professor Lee Sun-kyung from Cheongju University. Professor Lee serves as the civilian chairperson of the Environmental Education Committee of the Ministry of Environment and is a member of the 2050 Carbon Neutral Green Growth Committee. Participating in the discussion were Professor Lee Jae-young (Kongju National University, former head of the National Center for Environmental Education), Professor Kim Dae-hee (President of the Korean Society for Environmental Education, Sunchon National University), Team Leader Park Wol-jin (Climate and Environmental Policy Division, Seoul Metropolitan Government), and Director Yeom Jeong-yoon (Environmental Education Research Center, Korea Environment Institute).