Baekdudaegan Global Seed Vault is located in Bonghwa-gun County, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. (Arboreta and Gardens Institute)

By Kim Seon Ah

In the story of Noah's Ark, God long ago judges the world for being corrupt by sending a flood. Only Noah and his family, who follow God, are spared after building a gargantuan ark and carry two of every animal.

So is there a modern equivalent of the ark in case of a massive catastrophe? Believe it or not, there is: Two specialized vaults in the world protect seeds rather than humans or animals.

One is Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Spitsbergen, Norway, and the other is in Korea, Baekdudaegan Global Seed Vault, deep in the mountains of Bonghwa-gun County, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.

What if plants face extinction due a major disaster like climate change, environment pollution, natural catastrophe or war?

The seeds stored in the vaults are the last hope for humanity's survival. This is why such a facility is called "the modern-day Noah's Ark" or "Earth's doomsday vault."

Baekdudaegan Global Seed Vault is a state-of-the-art storage facility that preserves wild plant seeds from all over the world. Its mission is to protect the planet's biodiversity through safe storage of such seeds under the aim of guarding at least 30% of all such seeds by 2050.

So what seeds stored and how will they be used if humanity is on the brink of extinction?

To find the answers, Korea.net on Feb. 19 interviewed Kim Hoe-jin, senior manager of the headquarters of the Seed Vault Center.

Kim Hoe-jin, senior manager of the headquarters of the Seed Vault Center, on Feb. 19 looks at specimens at her facility, which has an environment similar to a seed vault. The seeds are preserved at minus 20 Celsius degrees and relative moisture of 40% or below. (Lee Jun Young)

Briefly introduce yourself.

Hello, my name is Kim Hoe-jin, senior manager of the headquarters of the Seed Vault Center.


Why are wild seed plants preserved at Baekdudaegan Global Seed Vault?

Unlike cultivated crops, wild plants still have little data on them despite their infinite potential. If we don't know how to use them and they go extinct, future generations will have to live with an extremely limited number of species. We prioritize preparation for such generations.


What difficulties are there in managing the Seed Vault Center?

Our name Baekdudaegan Global Seed Vault contains "global." Our objective is to preserve wild plant seeds from all over the world, but I found that bringing them in from abroad isn't easy. Countries find it hard to entrust others with their precious plant resources, so we came up with a "black box system." A donor puts in the seeds, attaches a security label with a serial number and seals it to guarantee ownership by the depository institution.


When do you feel that your work makes a difference?

My job actually feels very distant. We store and manage seeds daily. Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed about working hard to preserve wild species that could go extinct at any time but other times, I don't know. Sometimes, we get requests for seed vault education, which offers an opportunity to explain our work. I meet people who think Korea is doing something important and that a crucial facility is in the country, which makes me feel that I'm doing something worthwhile.


What would you like Korea.net readers to know?

If you're from a country with a seed bank that collects and stores seeds, we'd be grateful if you donate copies to Baekdudaegan Global Seed Vault (laughs).

sofiakim218@korea.kr