Hi, I am Nurul from Indonesia, and I am very disappointed with the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-In. 

As a K-Drama fan, I learned a lot from K-Drama stories and am inspired by their values of friendship and solidarity. The South Korean drama series have shown me how we should respect and protect one another. 

Unfortunately, the South Korean government showed me the opposite.

In one of my favorite drama scenes, Reply 1988, Sung Deok Sun woke up late and was angry at the lack of direct sunlight in her semi-basement home. She and her family realized that they needed to live in a better place, with enough sunlight and space. A place they could call home.

I think the same happened to the South Korean government.

They realized that they need to live in a better place they can call home, so they decided to implement a Green New Deal. They can live in a house with clean air, blue skies, without pollution or the impacts of climate change.

But ironically, the South Korean government is destroying other people’s homes in my part of the world by funding the Java 9 & 10 coal power plants. Experts have said that this project can cause the premature deaths of 4,700 people, especially children, due to air pollution. 

From similar projects in Java, we have seen that coal plants damage the environment and further marginalize the local communities. Many farmers and fisherfolks are losing their livelihoods because of the air and water pollution which have destroyed their farms and poisoned their fishes.

“If they are planning to support this coal power project —why don’t they just drop bombs on us now, rather than killing us slowly like in the past 10 years? We are starving and hopeless,” said Domo, a resident in Mekarsari Village, West Java, who has been opposing the power plant in his village for the past 10 years.

So I want to ask you, President Moon Jae-In, if you really care about the environment, why don’t you stop supporting projects that will damage the environment, regardless of where the project is? In solidarity with local communities, I demand #NineTenMustEnd!

Hi, I am Jiyun from South Korea. And just like Nurul, I am very disappointed with my President.

As a taxpayer in South Korea, I hope the government spends the people’s money on something valuable, impactful, and makes me proud. I am sure many South Koreans would want the same thing.

So when I found out that my government is spending our money to support projects that cause deaths and environmental damage in other countries, I got angry. My money is inadvertently killing people in Asia! 

Especially, as Nurul said, President Moon Jae-In’s decision for the Green New Deal should be implemented at all levels of government — including funding a project that would not harm people, regardless of where they live.

Please embody the spirit of friendship and solidarity as seen in K-Drama and be more conscious of other people globally, not just South Korean people. Local people who live near the coal plants are potentially losing their source of income. They also have to inhale polluted air that is harmful to their health and the environment. I want to remind them, #PeopleLiveThere!

These coal plants do not just harm Indonesians. It will also harm our home, our Earth. The impact is global. It is proven that burning coal for energy is the biggest cause of climate change. The more we burn coal, the greater the impact of climate change, and what could be worse? Climate change threatens the survival of humankind.

Indonesia is the top 5 biggest emitters globally, and among the top 7 fossil fuel producers, and South Korea is supporting this! I would not let that happen. Not with my money!

Many have thought people in Java need the Java 9 & 10 Coal Plant project to provide for their electricity. However, this is not true. Their electricity needs are fulfilled by the eight existing coal plants in the area. In fact, the power plants in Java and Bali are oversupplying electricity. They are producing 46% more than what is actually needed.

Sadly, the burden — health, financial and climate — falls upon the local Indonesians. Therefore, the people need a fair and just transition to renewable energy sources and not more coal-fired power plants.

Hi, I am Nurul and Jiyoon. We have never met before, but we have the same mission: protecting our home. Not just homes in South Korea, or homes in Indonesia, but OUR home: Planet Earth. 

Join us and demand that the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-In, Kexim, Korea Development Bank, and Hana Bank, immediately cancel the funding for the Java 9 & 10 power plant project! We also demand that the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, aligns Indonesia's commitment to the Paris Agreement and rules out these power plants..

As the youth of the world, we believe we have the same dream. We want everyone on this earth to have the same rights: living in a healthy, beautiful environment wherever they are. 

Together, let’s make our dreams come true!

Regards,

Nurul Sarifah & Jiyun Gim
Indonesia - South Korea