Tell us about PLOVING KOREA, the crew that dives into the sea off Jeju every week.
PLOVING KOREA is a crew that runs marine cleanups in the waters all around Jeju. We consistently head out to sea at least once a week, collecting trash underwater and along the shore, and this year we passed the 300-outing mark.

Q1. When did you first become interested in plastic reduction?
Before I learned freediving, I was snorkeling one day when I saw trash dumped underwater. I wanted to clear it away myself, and that’s how I naturally became interested in the marine environment and the plastic problem.

After that, I learned freediving, found PLOVING KOREA, and started taking part in earnesty. This is already my fourth year with the crew.

Q2. Why did you decide to join FANTASTIC CREW with Amorepacific?
The sea doesn’t stay clean after a single cleanup. Tokki Island, a place we’ve long kept a close eye on, also needs ongoing care. But because it’s an island, it has been hard for our crew to get there and clean it up on our own.

When FANTASTIC CREW Season 2 scheduled a cleanup on Tokki Island, we took part, seeing it as a chance to work with others to protect the sea our crew has always cherished.

Q3. If there’s a moment from your time with FANTASTIC CREW that stands out most, tell us about it.
The day we collected marine debris on Tokki Island stands out most. When we finished and left the island, we had to tie four or five sacks of trash together, and two of us pushed them along. While my partner steered, I kicked hard with my fins to move the sacks.

Along the way, we came across a huge school of pufferfish. I really wanted to stop and watch for a moment, but I was focused on moving the trash we’d collected, so I reluctantly swam past. It wasn’t easy, but because we divided the work and saw it through to the end, the memory has stayed with me all the more.

Q4. Has FANTASTIC CREW brought about any changes within PLOVING KOREA?
When we go ploving on Tokki Island, we have to bundle up the trash we collect and move it off the island. This outing taught us to plan ahead not only for picking up trash but also for safely getting it off the island.

Since then, we’ve kept in mind that we may need rope or cord. When we collect trash, we also think about what we can use to tie it together and how we’ll move it.

Q5. What are some ways to reduce plastic in everyday life?
In daily life, we skip single-use straws and bring our own tumblers for drinks. We also keep up small habits we can practice every day, such as choosing reusable containers over disposable ones.

Q6. What efforts are needed to bring about social change?
At ploving sites, we often find not only household trash but also fishing-related waste, such as discarded fishing gear. So alongside individual efforts to reduce plastic, we think the fishing industry and local communities need to share an understanding of how serious the marine debris problem is. That requires ongoing activity and communication to get them involved in both collection and prevention.

We’re also looking at ways to give the trash we collect a new use, rather than simply clearing it away. If we turned discarded fishing gear and plastic into new products or resources, we could raise awareness of the marine debris problem among more people while extending the value of our work beyond collection.

Q7. Were there areas where working with Amorepacific created extra synergy?
With Amorepacific’s public recognition and its ability to get a message out, we could introduce ploving to more people. We could also spread the idea more widely that ploving goes a step beyond a leisure activity for enjoying the sea and becomes a way to protect the environment by collecting marine debris ourselves.

Through this collaboration, we raised awareness of marine environmental issues and of the need to act, not only within the diving community but also among people who rarely come across ploving. We think the company’s reach, combined with PLOVING KOREA’s field experience, has widened the possibilities for turning interest in the sea into real participation.

Q8. Is there anything you’d like to leave us with as a member of FANTASTIC CREW?
‘Protecting a clean sea starts with small actions.’

Underwater, we find a lot of fishing-related waste, including discarded fishing gear, but we also often come across household trash, such as drink cups left all over tourist spots. If everyone who visits the sea simply takes responsibility, right to the end, for what they use and throw away, the seascape can change.

We really want people to know that protecting a clean sea isn’t about grand gestures. It starts with the small act of taking the trash you brought with you when you leave.

Q9. Finally, how would you sum up PLOVING KOREA’s journey with Amorepacific in a single phrase?
It was a time when good intentions became action for the waters off Jeju.

Amorepacific’s environmental message and PLOVING KOREA’s ability to get things done came together, and that let us turn our care for the sea into action on site. This journey showed us that change becomes more likely when we work together, so we’ll keep at it steadily, in and out of the waters off Jeju.

Next Crew
FANTASTIC CREW in NATURE. FANTASTIC CREW’s work for nature carries on. Seoul Forest and the city, the mountains and the waters off Jeju, and even beneath the sea’s surface. Follow the stories of all six crews in turn, each working at a different site and cutting down on plastic in its own way. Up next is the story of FANTASTIC CREW Season 2’s last crew, Clean Hikers, who go plogging on mountains across the country with the rallying cry ‘Light on the way up, heavy on the way down.’

Learn More
Curious about the earlier stories from FANTASTIC CREW Season 2?

#4 SSJ Morning Club, who pick up trash in Seoul Forest every Sunday morning and are making a difference in their neighborhood (Click)