Environment of South Korea

Byeonsan-bando National Park.

Theenvironment of South Koreais thenatural environmentofSouth Korea,which occupies the southern half of theKorean peninsula.Environment - current issues: air pollution in large cities; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; acid rain; drift net fishing.

Forests were cleared over many centuries for use as firewood and as building materials. However, they have rebounded since the 1970s as a result of intensivereforestationefforts. The country's few remaining old-growth forests are protected in nature reserves. South Korea also has twentynational parks.One of the world's most interesting wildlife sanctuaries has developed in theDMZ,having been virtually untouched since 1953. The uninhabited zone has become a haven for many kinds of wildlife, particularly migrating birds.

Natural environment

Large mammals such as tigers, bears, and lynx were once abundant throughout the Korean peninsula. However, they have virtually disappeared due to human settlement, loss of forest habitat, and over-hunting. TheSiberian tigerhas not been sighted in South Korea since the 1920s. Bears and Wildcats can still be found in the more remote areas, such asJiri-sanandSeorak-san.South Korea also has several indigenous species of deer, including theroe deerand theSiberian musk deer.Wild boars have been growing common in recent years, thanks to reduced hunting pressure.

The national flower of South Korea is theHibiscus syriacus,a species ofhibiscusthat blooms continually from July through October. In South Korea, it is known asmugunghwa(무궁화), meaning "eternal flower". The unofficial national animal is the Tiger, for the peninsula seems like a tiger in a point of view. The unofficial national bird is theKorean magpie,which was chosen in 1964 through a poll organized by theHankook Ilbo.

Environmental issues

See also:Environmental Conditions of South KoreaandPollution in South Korea

There are multiple places in South Korea that have erosion. The main places that have erosion in South Korea are in the forests such as Poti Forest, which is known for its soil erosion.

Global climate change

This section is an excerpt fromClimate change in South Korea.[edit]

Climate changehas led toextreme weatherevents inSouth Koreathat affects: social, economy, industry, culture, and many other sectors.South Korea is experiencing changes in climate parameters. Such parameters include annual temperature, rainfall amounts, and precipitation.

Air pollution

Main article:Air pollution in South Korea

According to theEnvironmental Performance Index2016, South Korea ranked 173rd out of 180 countries in terms of air quality. More than 50 percent of the population of South Korea is exposed to dangerous levels offine dust.

South Korea near bottom of world survey of air quality

Very Unhealthy

Unhealthy

Unhealthy for sensitive groups

Moderate

Good

In March 2019, after record-high concentrations of PM 2.5 particles were observed, exposing residents to respiratory and cardiovascular illness, the South Korean government passed emergency legislation in an attempt to reduce the ongoing pollution.

Forests and erosion

Over the centuries, Korea's inhabitants have cut down most of the ancient Korean forests, with the exception of a few remote, mountainous areas. The disappearance of the forests has been a major cause ofsoil erosionandflooding.Because of successfulreforestationprograms and the declining use of firewood as a source of energy since the 1960s, most of South Korea's hills in the 1980s were amply covered with foliage.

North Korean dam

News thatNorth Koreawas constructing a huge multipurpose dam at the base ofMount Kuomintang(1,638 meters) north of theDMZcaused considerable consternation in South Korea during the mid-1980s. South Korean authorities feared that once completed, a sudden release of the dam's waters into theHan Riverduring north–south hostilities could floodSeouland paralyze the capital.

During 1987, the Kuomintang-San Dam was a major issue that Seoul sought to raise in talks withPyongyang.Though Seoul completed thePeace Damon theBu khan Riverto counteract the potential threat of Pyongyang's dam project before the1988 Olympics,the North Korean project apparently still was in its initial stages of construction in 1990. Construction was suspended on the dam until 1995. The second phase of construction was completed in October 2000.

Animal welfare and rights

Main article:Animal welfare and rights in South Korea

South Korea's animal welfare laws are weak by international standards,and ethicalvegetarianismandveganismappear to be rare.There is a handful of animal welfare and rights organisations working in South Korea, which appear to be focused largely on the welfare of companion animals and thedog meattrade.

Other issues

Citysewersystems are overtaxed.Other issues includewater pollutionfrom sewer discharge and industrial effluents,acid rain,drift netfishing, and wasteful packaging of consumer goods.Transboundarypollutionconcerns spurred the creation of ajoint commissionamong South Korea, Japan, and China to address environmental problems. South Korea is the second-largest consumer ofozone-depletingchlorofluorocarbons.

South Korea had a 2018Forest Landscape Integrity Indexmean score of 6.02/10, ranking it 87th globally out of 172 countries.

See also

• Green Party Korea
• Korea Federation for Environmental Movements
• Onsan illness

External links

• Korea Federation for Environmental Movements
• Ministry of Environment South Korea
• Information on the Mt. Kumgang dam
• Comparative StudyofBeijing,Seoul,TokyoandShanghai

• http://www.indexmundi.com/south_korea/environment_current_issues.htmlThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Country Studies.Federal Research Division.