PUBLISH is pleased to announce that, in partnership with News Penguin, it has appointed the artists Jeong Taeryeon and Jin Kwanwoo as members of the steering committee for the "Endangered Species Preservation Project." The project, jointly promoted by PUBLISH and News Penguin, aims to raise awareness about endangered species in Korea.

Each month, the committee will select one or two endangered species to focus on, with artwork, character designs, and NFTs created to highlight their importance.

The artwork will be created by Jeong and Jin, and PUBLISH will convert the artwork into NFTs (non-fungible tokens) using sustainable technology so as to minimize the environmental impact of the NFT minting process. The amount of energy required to make one NFT is expected to equate to the energy used by a 40W incandescent bulb for 23.4 seconds.

Jeong is renowned for his illustrations of various domestic fish species in the late novelist Lee Oi-soo’s book "Haak Haak." He also contributed to the creation of Korea’s first illustrated botanical and zoological books. Additionally, he received the 19th Korea Children's Book Award, selected by the Ministry of Environment.

Jin is known for his illustrations of endangered species using his unique Korean word art. To date, he has drawn over 220 such illustrations as part of the "Breathing Things" project. "Breathing Things" is a colloquial term in Korean that refers to animals that breathe and move.

Commenting on his appointment to the committee, Jeong said, "I have been committed to [wildlife protection] for 30 years and my passion for it remains as strong as ever. I hope to be able to make a meaningful contribution in some way."

He added, "Many environmental projects are carried out without a clear target in mind, which can sometimes have adverse effects on the environment. In contrast, the Endangered Species Preservation Project has a clear goal of protecting wild animals."

"Dropping a single drop of water into a large pond may not make a significant impact, but by focusing on a specific target and consistently dropping water, eventually the target can be achieved," he said.

Kim Kijeong, the CEO of News Penguin, said, “News Penguin contains records of animals and plants that will disappear from the earth in the face of the climate crisis. We hope this campaign will lead to an increased interest in endangered wildlife.”

Tom Kim, Director of PUBLISH, stated that "PUBLISH is committed to leveraging blockchain technology to drive positive change and development in our society." He highlighted the company's prior efforts in this area, including the Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon NFT project and blockchain donation projects for international relief organizations.

News Penguin expects to announce the first "Endangered Species of the Month" on December 22.