Joon-Yuep Cha is an environmental activist and chairman of the Earth Eco-Friends movement in Korea which he set up to encourage the Government to join the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) - a step which he deemed important since the tradition in Korea is to use the parts of a number of endangered species for medicinal purposes. Cha succeeded when Korea joined CITES in October 1993. During the ninth session of CITES in Florida, he went on a hunger strike to encourage his Government to protect wildlife. As a result, the Asia Conservation Alliance (ACA) was formed. In the spring of 1991, he went on another hunger strike to protect an 800-year old gingko tree at the foot of Mt. Pukhan in Northern Seoul which was going to be cut down to make way for high-rise apartments. Thanks to his efforts, the height of the apartments was lowered to allow the tree to bask in enough sunshine, and two buildings were not constructed in order to allow enough space for the roots to grow. He also initiated a movement to protect Kwangnung Arboretum, home to the Korean Redheaded Woodpecker, which was going to be yet another victim of the boom years in Korea. He organized some 20 non-governmental organizations to protest the construction of a 19-story apartment building and an amusement park. As a result, the development plans were abandoned, and the Government has begun a study to determine whether special legislation is needed to protect the Arboretum.
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