The contamination of beaches is a severe issue. In a study co-authored by experts at the Pew Charitable Trusts, it was discovered that around 11 million metric tons of plastic debris enter the ocean every year by 2020.

This is the context in which a young married pair from Gangneung, on the eastern coastline of South Korea's Gangwon Province, has begun on a quest to clean up the country's shorelines and oceans.

Kim Yong-kyu, the CEO of oceankind, a firm dedicated to marine conservation, stated, "We have actually been keeping track of rubbish on the beaches even before the epidemic began and masks are now much more regularly discovered."

"There is a form to fill out, an international form, in order to keep track of the rubbish that has been gathered on the beaches. Masks have been added as a new category to the site. "It just goes to show how easy they can be located," the 42-year-old continued.

The scuba diving pair launched the firm in 2016 in order to raise awareness about marine environmental concerns after spending a significant amount of time in the ocean as undersea divers and witnessing firsthand the devastation caused by ocean pollution and pollution in general.

"We thought, 'let's not just sit back and observe what's going on, let's do something about it,'" Kim explained further.

Though there are only two of them at this time, the firm is involved in many different types of projects, including performing marine environment research, giving lectures, and organizing beach cleanups with the local community, mostly along the east coast. The duo, who both studied design and photography, also uses their artistic abilities to establish campaigns and exhibitions focusing on the maritime environment and its preservation. They also maintain social media profiles to chronicle their garbage collection operations and to raise awareness about the dangers of ocean contamination.

The name "oceankind" is a pun on the phrases "mankind" and "ocean," which are both used in the same sentence. Kim thought that the word "mankind" was too self-centered and focused just on people, so he substituted the word "ocean" in the hopes that the portmanteau would reflect all sea animals and living organisms that rely on the marine environment.

His mission also included adopting a compassionate and courteous attitude to safeguarding and caring for the water, he stated.

In the same way that the pandemic altered many parts of human existence, it also altered the ocean's ecosystem.

In coastal towns, there are fewer people around, compared to cities, and you are more isolated from others, which encourages people to remove their masks when going for a stroll in order to get some fresh air. I feel the same way. However, when the wind is really strong, individuals tend to lose their masks or drop them, and they can end up being blown away."

Masks, on the other hand, are only the tip of the iceberg.

"While scuba diving, I came across a fish that had become entangled in a single-use plastic glove," he said.

A log of garbage gathered by oceankind reveals a diverse variety of products we use on a daily basis, ranging from plastic water bottles and disposable containers to plastic forks and spoons as well as dental floss picks and other small objects.

According to him, the majority of them are made of plastic, which demonstrates how whatever we use may end up in the water once it is no longer needed.

Kim noted that animals who are forced to live in a deteriorating marine habitat are essentially "associating with garbage."

"When you visit the beaches, you will be able to observe firsthand how quickly the junk we discard may flow into the ocean. "The water is, in a sense, absolutely helpless," Kim explained. "

As a scuba diver, he has the opportunity to observe rubbish that has made its way into the water. Once it has sunk into the ocean's environment, it will remain there and accumulate over time.

"However, from the outside, there is no indication that (the ocean) is being directly affected," the CEO stated.

Kim believes that not tossing rubbish out carelessly is of vital importance in order to contribute to the protection of the ocean.

"In order to do this, we must ensure that the items we employ do not simply decompose. That requires us to reevaluate our consumption habits and decrease the usage of single-use objects, regardless of their materials. Reducing the quantity of garbage in the environment will lessen the amount of pollution in the ocean. Most importantly, we must concentrate our efforts on preventing debris from entering the water," he stated.

He believes that while there is an increasing degree of attention in society when it comes to garbage cleanup, there have been fewer measures taken to reduce the quantity of waste created.

"I believe that if we make improvements in this area, the quantity of ocean pollution would be lowered as well," Kim stated.