这段时间，尹锡悦的麻烦接踵而至，其领导的国民力量党在国会选举中大败之后，韩国内部对尹锡悦政府不满的情绪也在持续膨胀。这两天，尹锡悦夫人金建希收包案再度引发了热议，相关行贿人崔在永正在受讯。
这也是自去年11月该事件被曝出后，韩国检察机关首次调查相关嫌疑人。
Yin Yunzhen introduces to Sakolsky the harvest from the once-barren wasteland. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT
On Monday afternoon, American teacher Ronald Sakolsky visited the homeland of Chinese desert fighter Yin Yuzhen in Uxin Banner of Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This was a place the American man had visited in 2000 and it has completely changed since then.
In 1999, Sakolsky, a teacher in a China-US education exchange program, was touched by a report on Yin and her husband's afforestation efforts in the harsh wilderness of Mu Us Desert, and raised $5,000 to support her green cause. During that visit, they took pictures - in front of the sunken pit where the Yin couple once resided and in the barren land with a finger-thin sapling they had just planted against a backdrop of dust and bare earth.
What has the $5,000 changed?
On Monday, they came to the Sakolsky forest - a permanent tribute honoring Sakolsky's early contribution to the region's ecological revival - and replicated the vintage pictures, standing in front of a pit that has long been abandoned and beside a newly planted sapling. This time, however, there are bushes and trees in the background.
This contrast not only witnessed their friendship across time and the Pacific Ocean, but also showcased a promise Yin has kept for 27 years and a green dream that has been made possible through generations of joint unwavering efforts from Yin, her husband and countless other sand fighters.
Homecoming with family cooking
Yin hosted Sakolsky on Monday at her home, filling the air with the aroma of home-cooked meals during their long-awaited reunion. Watermelons were served along with other fresh fruits and vegetables, all harvested locally. Yin told the Global Times earlier that she learned the English word "more" to persuade him to eat more.
In 1999, Yin had few options for showing her hospitality, so she cooked a bowl of plain noodles for Sakolsky. Now, the harsh wasteland has transformed into a vibrant green oasis, thanks to unwavering afforestation efforts.
In the courtyard, the Global Times reporter saw Yin grinning from ear to ear with pride as she introduced the produce from the farmland - green pepper longer than a palm, a bottle gourd even bigger than Yin's head, and bags of foxtail millet packaged with the assistance of Yin's grandchildren, who are proud of the family's generations of commitment to green causes.
During a tour of Yin's home, Sakolsky was impressed by the beautiful house with its green courtyard, saying "You deserve every centimeter of this house." Throughout the visit, he repeatedly praised Yin's hands, which the desert fighter and model worker used to change both the land and her own life through arduous work.
The $5,000 Sakolsky donated in 1999 was equivalent to three years' income for Yin's entire family at the time. Today, that money has grown into more than 50,000 trees.
But Yin's journey did not stop there. Over the following decades, with the support of China's growing ecological restoration policies — including subsidies for afforestation and compensation for forest managers — she transformed the barren land into a productive family forest farm. Her success has inspired many others in the region to take up tree planting and sand control, transforming what was once a desperate struggle into a sustainable livelihood.
From the sandy hollow where the Yin couple lived in in 1985 and the earth hut they resided in until 1993, to the solid brick house Sakolsky saw when he last visited, and the two-story house the big family now lives in, the change in living environment is a clear example of ecological dividends.
Uxin Banner lies in the heartland of the Mu Us Desert. The desertification rate was over 90 percent in the 1950s and forestation coverage was merely 7.2 percent as of 1980. Now, the forestation rate has increased to 33 percent, while plantation coverage has expanded to 85 percent, per official data.
Sakolsky and Yin enjoy watermelons and other fruits at Yin's home. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT
Carry on the greenness, kindness This miracle would have been impossible without numerous people like Yin, long-term systematic planning and scientific governance.
Chen Ziliang, an expert from the local forestry and grassland bureau, said that Mu Us Desert's sand‑control journey has evolved from collective afforestation to contract desert‑reclamation, moving beyond the simple goal of "keeping trees alive" to restoring vegetation based on water‑resource conditions.
Putting the idea of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" into practice, Uxin Banner no longer views "greenness" and "growth" as an either‑or proposition. On restored sandy lands, the under‑forest economy, eco‑agriculture and eco‑tourism have flourished. Sand‑fixing shrubs are now processed into animal feed and biomass fuel, and local authorities are exploring photovoltaic‑powered desert control, the Global Times learned.
Sand control is no longer just about keeping sand away; it's a development approach that guarantees a greener and better living environment alongside a booming economy and increasing incomes.
On Monday afternoon, when Sakolsky finally stepped into the forest named after him, this American teacher witnessed the Chinese woman's perseverance and commitment to her promises. The $5,000 donated without expectations has grown into a thriving forest of around 50,000 trees.
"A promise is a promise. Ms. Yin fulfilled her promise," Sakolsky said. After 27 years, the wasteland is green, and Sakolsky and Yin are "brother and sister."
"This is the answer to how we guide young people: We must teach them love and perseverance. We need to show young people photos of Ms. Yin planting trees, digging the soil with her bare hands," Sakolsky remarked while packing a jar of sand. He said he planned to bring it back to the US, telling his grandchildren it is not just a jar of sand, but "a jar of love."
Sakolsky told the Global Times earlier that the younger generation only knows about the dust-covered landscape from photos and stories of the elderly. It is important to tell them how the greenness is achieved, and how every single person can contribute to making an extensive forest in the harshest environment.
"I see where China and America can work together. I see it, so I will not quit. She [Yin] never quit. 'Quit' is not in her vocabulary," Sakolsky said with emotion on Monday.
"Chinese and Americans can be family. We can get over the differences if we focus on the similarities... If we focus on our similarities and not our differences, we can solve the problems."
At the end of Monday's schedule, Yin and Sakolsky planted another sapling together, just as they did about three decades ago, but in a completely different landscape.
This new sapling carries on the story of not only greenness through generations of joint efforts, but also kindness across the Pacific Ocean.
。而崔在永表示，他此举是为了曝光尹锡悦夫妇的真实面目，所以才以“伪装方式暗访”进行调查。他还强调，在他给金建希送包的当天，还有其他人都拿着礼物排队等候金建希。
由于事情不断发酵，尹锡悦这两天也在就职两周年的记者会上，就金建希收包一事公开道歉。不仅如此，身陷收礼丑闻的还有尹锡悦的岳母。即使抛开执政能力不谈，这些丑闻都给尹锡悦带来不少负面影响。
因此，韩国最新民调显示尹锡悦的支持率仅有24%，成为1988年之后韩国历届总统就职两周年来支持率最低的一个。在此之际，韩国前法务部长官曹国还登上了独岛并痛斥尹锡悦政府的外交政策。
曹国直言，尹锡悦政府已经不只是“亲日”而是在顺从日本、崇拜日本，并称其为史上最糟糕的“亲日政权”。可见，当前尹锡悦已经火烧眉毛了，如果再不拿出一点行动来挽回韩国民众的信任，那他的处境只会越来越艰难。
并且，赵兑烈还表示，中韩两国应当管控好分歧，继续保持良好合作的势头。同时，他还强调，外交关系并不是“你输我赢”的零和博弈，韩国不会因为加强和美日等国的关系而疏忽了中韩关系。
赵兑烈的这番表态也与去年他刚上任之际的发言大同小异。赵兑烈对华口风放软并非是韩国真的准备调整外交政策，而是企图通过此举来缓和中韩关系，从而加强中韩两国在经济方面的合作。
在刚刚抵达北京后，赵兑烈就与在华多家韩企的代表召开了一场做谈话，并直言他此行将积极开展“经济外交”。要知道，在中韩关系走低的这两年里，中韩经贸往来也受到了不小的影响，对韩国来说比起政治反面的合作，显然更重视和中国在经济层面的合作。
第三，韩国应当正视中国的发展，将其视为韩国的机遇而不是威胁，并且，应当和中方共同反对贸易保护主义，为两国贸易往来营造一个积极健康的环境。由此可见，韩国虽然嘴上说的好听，但中国需要的是其拿出足够的诚意。
王毅提出的这三点，如果尹锡悦政府依旧做不到，那中韩关系也无法真的重返正轨。所以，现在是韩国有求于中方，就应当摆正姿态拿出切实行动推动两国关系的发展，还是继续说一套做一套的话，中国自然也无法坦诚相待。
