Walking into the World and Further into the Environment

The travel documentary Walking into the World*, which has a huge fanbase, is famous for being created under a strenuous production process. Holding seven cameras on their shoulder, a single producer is in charge of the entire process, ranging from planning to casting, filming, experiences, interviews, editing, and narration. This remarkable effort enables viewers to feel as though they are exploring the area along the producer’s journey.
“For two weeks, I had to shoot 28 or more scenes, every morning and evening. Because this work completely exhausted me, I became sick and tired of any place where I had been. At one point, my drone crashed in the mountains of Brazil. I was ready to give up, but local residents spent four to five hours searching the mountains with me, cutting their way through the undergrowth. Only after retrieving the drone, did I—for the first time and at the sight of sunset over the mountain—experience the feeling of being a “traveler” instead of a businessperson. I was so grateful for their hospitality and friendship, which required no time, no money, no reward. This emotion prompted me to return to Brazil one year later, and that time, I was a true traveler.”
Kim, who had traveled the world with her cameras until 2018, faced another turning point in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic while producing Secret of Birth, Aging, Sickness, and Death**. Filming took place in “Cancer Village” in the North Chungcheong Province where one-third of the population had been diagnosed with cancer. In 1999, an incinerator was built in the village, but there are currently three incinerators within a 2-kilometer radius of the township office. Each day, these facilities burn 6.8% of the nation’s total daily capacity for waste. “Pink smoke was rising from the incinerators. I was astonished, thinking ‘Is this even possible in South Korea, and in the twenty-first century?’ What if pink smoke had risen from Yeouido or Gangnam for even 10 minutes?”
Prior to producing this program, Kim had been indifferent to environmental issues, trusting the capitalist system. Payment for trash removal is made, and waste is sorted into separate pay-as-you-throw bags, appearing to be adequately treated. However, she realized that the cleanliness we enjoy rests on the sacrifices of those who are saddled with factories and landfills at the scenes where she was producing TV programs. Thus, she voluntarily seized the position of environment-dedicated producer without hesitation, beginning to produce corresponding programs. As a result, her No Earth for Clothes*** was awarded the grand prize at the 2022 Korea Communications Commission Broadcasting Awards.

• * Walking Into the World KBS1_November 5, 2005 – present
• ** Secrets of Birth, Aging, Sickness, and Death KBS1_October 29, 2002 - present
• *** No Earth for Clothes KBS Environmental Special KBS1_July 1, 2021 broadcast

Inconvenient Truths over Half-Baked Alternatives

No Earth for Clothes gained viral attention through word of mouth after its broadcast in July 2021. The scene of cows chewing on discarded clothes instead of grass deeply appalled viewers. Kim lamented that “We say that ‘let us stop buying clothes; let us reduce consumption,’ while companies continue to increase their clothing production each year. That is a nonsense.” The main target of this story is ordinary people who live their lives with complete indifference to the environment. Kim detailed how hers work differed from existing environmental documentaries as follows.
“An educational documentary should present an alternative, accompanied by hopeful music, around 40-45 minutes after its beginning. People frequently say, ‘Do this. Don’t do that,’ and the host where the documentary is shot could be Germany or the United States to learn alternatives. Without proposing any immature alternative, I intended to leave the audience feeling uncomfortable. I preferred limiting the role of the documentary up to that point.”

Participation Moves Institutions, Voices Move Companies

A common mistake in environmental campaigns is blaming ordinary people. Attacking individuals or merely offering nagging suggestions, including “Do not waste food,” “Reduce plastic consumption,” or “Unplug the power cord” is unlikely to induce fundamental changes. The same holds for why environmental activists experience frustration soon after an initial attempt to implement pro-active measures. “I remember what a resident said when I visited Cancer Village showing me newspapers delivered wrapped in plastic: ‘Please tell TV audiences not to make these things.’ After watching certain programs, many viewers become activists and start attending weekend environmental events, which immediately leads to policies and institutions for society. When consumers leave 10, 100, or 1,000 or more comments on a company’s website, it is inevitable for the company to seek change. Rather than forcing people to change their personal habits, we can create significant change through our voices.”
Kim has recently become the team leader of “Documentary Insight,”**** supporting the productions of her junior producers. The team’s documentaries, China Crazy About Engineering Schools and South Korea Crazy About Medical Schools, has had wide-ranging social repercussions. These themes may be inconvenient and open to answers, but Kim believes that the role of public broadcasting documentaries is to raise questions. Despite provocative debates swamping numerous media, people are reluctant to speak out amid inconvenient truths. Even current weak reverberations can change the world over time if they resonate deeply within someone’s heart. Kim holds the camera with firm conviction.

• **** Documentary Insight KBS1_October 3, 2019 – present. on TV, July 10 and 27, 2025

No Earth for Children: A scene shot for Nigerian e-wastes