The National Institute of Biological Resources (Director Bae Yeon-Jae), an affiliated organization of the Ministry of Environment, said, 'Life on the Mekong; Connecting People, Creating a New Future' Special Exhibition will be held at the Nurimaru Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Memorial Hall, Busan, Korea on November 27th. 

Korea and Mekong leaders from five countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam) will check the achievement Korea and Mekong countries have done together over the past 12 years as they toured this special exhibition directly after the 1st Mekong-Korea summit on November 27.

This special exhibition was held to introduce the achievements of biodiversity cooperation between Korea and Mekong, and to propose a win-win cooperation plan for the future. It is open to the public from November 30 to December 27.

After the exhibition is finished at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Memorial Hall in Busan, the same exhibition contents will be presented at the National Institute of Biological Resources in Seo-gu, Incheon for two months from May 2020.

The special exhibition has embodied the rich biological and industrial achievements of the Mekong region in real samples and videos in order to share the results of cooperation projects that Korea and Mekong countries have worked together for the past 12 years from 2007.

Over 200 species of flora and fauna obtained from donations or joint investigations from various countries, such as world renowned rare species Myanmar Star Tortoise and Sloth Monkey, are displayed and people can see illustrated books made  by Korean and Mekong researchers together.

※ The National Institute of Biological Resources summarizes the results of the joint research on biodiversity in the Mekong area, and published 19 books from 2013 to the present to be used for biodiversity management and education for future researchers in the region.

The institute will also display the achievements of industrialization of biological resources including natural materials cosmetics and efficacy excellent biological resources such as atopic dermatitis, antibacterial and antioxidants, and natural cosmetics.

※ In Cambodia, it discovered whitening and wrinkle improvement effect in Cambodia plant Diphterocarpus Intricatus, which was used as a fork or fire plug, and registered a joint patent and transferred this technology to a domestic small and medium-sized business and commercialized in January 2019.

The exhibition consists of four themes: 'Guests from Mekong', 'Biodiversity of Mekong', 'Connecting People' and 'Creating a New Future'.

The 'Guests from Mekong' space shows Mekong, the home of the swallow gives us a sustainable future of prosperity just like the swallow, representative migratory bird from the Mekong region and the symbol of good fortune in the Heungbu delivers a seed of good fortune to us.

The ‘Mekong Biodiversity’ space displays representative creatures of the Mekong region, such as tigers, bintoulongs, and hornbills. It noted that it is time for global cooperation across borders to protect the Mekong area, which is threatened by environmental pollution and climate change.

The 'Connecting People' space displays local expert training courses and interviews with trainees to conserve Mekong biodiversity.

The 'Creating a New Future' space introduces the Korea-Mekong Biodiversity Center, which is set up to support the development of biological resources, such as natural cosmetic development, and to preserve the biodiversity of Mekong more systematically and support sustainable use.

Bae Yeon-jae, Director of the National Institute of Biological Resources, said, "This special exhibition was designed to help Korea and Mekong to create a sustainable future by conserving the biodiversity of the Mekong region." "I hope to experience the unique biomes of the Mekong region and to be interested in the potential future value of biomass," he said.