A Comparative Study on the Natural Monument Designations of South and North Korea

남.북한의 천연기념물 지정내용 비교

Korea began preserving and managing natural monuments in 1933 under the Japanese Colonization, but South and North Korea had to establish natural monument management policies separately because of the division after the Korean Independence. The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze the natural monument designations of South and North Koreas between 1933 and 2005 to introduce advanced polices for Oneness-Korea. The following are the results: According to data of December 2005, South Korea has 358 and North Korea has 474 natural monuments. North Korea has 116 more natural monuments than South Korea. In addition, over half of South Korea's designations are plants, whereas North Korea's designations are relatively well-balanced. Both South and North Korea designate plants(mostly trees) that are old and large. However, South Korea emphasizes the historical value of village forests, contrary to economic value in North Korea. Also, North Korea preserves many traditional fruit trees which have not been well-preserved in South Korea. As for animals, South Korea designates migratory wild animals by type and not by region to protect them at a national level, whereas North Korea designates the specific habitats of each type of wild animal. In addition, North Korea protects each region's cattle and chickens to preserve native traits of domesticated animals. Geologically, North Korea preserves 18 hot springs and 11 springs, whereas South Korea has none. Geographically, North Korea preserves 81 waterfalls, lakes, etc. In the conclusion, advanced natural monument management of South and North Korea is necessary to achieve effective preservation of natural monuments.