There is a serious risk of regional extinction due to low birth rate and aging in Korea. Accordingly, the regional extinction index is applied to diagnose the extinction status of cities, counties, and districts. However, when the regional extinction index was applied to rural villages, most villages were found to be at 'high risk of extinction'. There is no differentiation in the level of extinction of rural villages. Therefore, a village extinction index was developed to apply to rural villages. This study applies and compares the existing regional extinction index and the newly developed village extinction index to rural villages. The purpose is to propose an index that can better diagnose the extinction of rural villages. As a research method, the regional extinction index and village extinction index are applied to all villages in Haengjeong-ri villages in South Chungcheong Province. And the adequacy of the index suitable for rural villages is diagnosed. For this purpose, ➂ stage distribution for each two indices, ➂ demographic aspect diagnosis, and ➂ resident awareness survey were analyzed. When the village extinction index was used, the discrimination problems seen in the regional extinction index were overcome. As a result of the demographic analysis, the regional extinction index showed that villages with a population of 200 or more were at 'high risk of extinction', but the village extinction index was derived as 'high risk of extinction' for villages with underpopulated populations. Lastly, the results of the residents' awareness survey also showed that the village extinction index was well reflected in the actual situation of rural villages when applied. When the village extinction index was applied to rural villages rather than the regional extinction index, it was found to reflect the actual state of rural extinction better.

The study primarily aims to examine the characteristics of the transition from natural landscape to modern agricultural landscape on the Daesan plain in Dong-myeon, Changwon-si, in the lower reaches of the Nakdong River. The periods covered in the transition include the late Joseon Dynasty, the early Japanese colonial period, and the late Japanese colonial period. The study concluded the following: It was found that the Daesan Plain used to function as a hydrophilic landscape before it formed into a rural landscape. This is characterized by the various water resources in the Plain, primarily by the Nakdong River, with its back marsh tributaries, the Junam Reservoir and Jucheon. To achieve its recent form, the Daesan Plain was subjected to human trial and error. Through installation of irrigation facilities such as embankments and sluices, the irregularly-shaped wetlands were transformed into large-scale farmlands while the same irrigation facilities underwent constant renovation to permanently stabilize the rural landscape. These processes of transformation were similarly a product of typical colonial expropriation. During the Japanese colonial period, Japanese capitalists initiated the construction of private farms which led to the national land development policy by the Governor-General of Korea. These landscape changes are indicative of resource capitalism depicted by the expansion of agricultural production value by the application of resource capital to undeveloped natural space for economic viability. As a result, the hierarchical structure was magnified resulting to the exacerbation of community and economic structural imbalances which presents an alternative yet related perspective to the evolution of landscapes during the Japanese colonial period. In addition, considering Daesan Plain's vulnerability to changing weather conditions, natural processes have also been a factor to its landscape transformation. Such occurrences endanger the sustainability of the area as when floods inundate cultivated lands and render them unstable, endangering residents, as well as the harvests. In conclusion, the Daesan Plain originally took the form of a hydrophilic landscape and started significantly evolving into a rural landscape since the Japanese colonial period. Human-induced land development and geophysical processes significantly impacted this transformation which also exemplifies the several ways of how undeveloped natural landscapes turn into mechanized and capitalized rural landscapes by colonial resource capitalism and development policies.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the possible relationship between population migration and population inequality in rural areas. This study conducted a case study on the eup·myeon(rural)areas in Chungcheongbuk-do. First, the population migration was divided into four patterns, and the characteristics of population migration in rural areas were analyzed based on the net migration. The analysis results showed that there was serious migration between rural areas, and the population in rural areas mainly moved out to urban areas within the province, but the urban population outside the province moved out to rural areas. The main areas of population inflows included areas such as Deoksan-eup, Jincheon-gun, Osong-eup and Ochang-eup, Cheongju-si. Second, the Theil index was used to quantitatively analyze the level of population inequality between rural areas. The Theil index of the population aged 0~14 increased from 0.38 to 0.53, that of population aged 15-64 increased from 0.22 to 0.30, and that of population aged over 65 increased from 0.07 to 0.09, indicating an increase in population inequality. Finally, due to the continued large-scale inflows of population into Osong-eup and Ochang-eup, the Theil index of total population in Cheongju-si increased from 0.13 in 2009 to 0.23 in 2020, which meant that the level of population inequality had increased. Similarly, due to the continued large population inflows into Deoksan-eup, the Theil index of total population in Jincheon-gun increased from 0.14 in 2009 to 0.18 in 2020, which meant that the level of population inequality had increased. In conclusion, large-scale population inflows into specific areas will lead to an increase in the level of population inequality.

The purpose of this study is to examine residents' perspectives on factors contributing to rural decline, including population decrease and landscape degradation, with the goal of proposing strategies to revitalize rural spaces in response to these challenges. After exploring rural decline issues in Jinan, a questionnaire was developed based on a review of existing research. Following this, participants were selected, and Focus Group Interviews(FGI) were conducted. Through the analysis of the findings, strategies for local revitalization were suggested in four sectors. Based on the research findings, there is a need to reassess public transportation and vacant property projects. On the social front, preventing the misuse of rural relocation policies and enhancing residential environments through spatial clarity are essential. Environmentally, clustering renewable energy and livestock facilities and attracting educational facilities are necessary to minimize disruption to rural landscapes. From a governance perspective, fostering entrepreneurship in rural tourism and business models utilizing the local landscape is crucial for an increase in regional visits. This study holds significance by emphasizing the practical situation of rural decline, steering away from resource-centric or business-focused policies. It underscores the potential usefulness of integrating this understanding into detailed planning within policies aimed at tackling rural decline.

This study aimed to develop a precise vegetation cover classification model for small streams using the combination of drone remote sensing and support vector machine (SVM) techniques. The chosen study area was the Idong stream, nestled within Geosan-gun, Chunbuk, South Korea. The initial stage involved image acquisition through a fixed-wing drone named ebee. This drone carried two sensors: the S.O.D.A visible camera for capturing detailed visuals and the Sequoia+ multispectral sensor for gathering rich spectral data. The survey meticulously captured the stream's features on August 18, 2023. Leveraging the multispectral images, a range of vegetation indices were calculated. These included the widely used normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) that factors in soil background, and the normalized difference water index (NDWI) for identifying water bodies. The third stage saw the development of an SVM model based on the calculated vegetation indices. The RBF kernel was chosen as the SVM algorithm, and optimal values for the cost (C) and gamma hyperparameters were determined. The results are as follows: (a) High-Resolution Imaging: The drone-based image acquisition delivered results, providing high-resolution images (1 cm/pixel) of the Idong stream. These detailed visuals effectively captured the stream's morphology, including its width, variations in the streambed, and the intricate vegetation cover patterns adorning the stream banks and bed. (b) Vegetation Insights through Indices: The calculated vegetation indices revealed distinct spatial patterns in vegetation cover and moisture content. NDVI emerged as the strongest indicator of vegetation cover, while SAVI and NDWI provided insights into moisture variations. (c) Accurate Classification with SVM: The SVM model, fueled by the combination of NDVI, SAVI, and NDWI, achieved an outstanding accuracy of 0.903, which was calculated based on the confusion matrix. This performance translated to precise classification of vegetation, soil, and water within the stream area. The study's findings demonstrate the effectiveness of drone remote sensing and SVM techniques in developing accurate vegetation cover classification models for small streams. These models hold immense potential for various applications, including stream monitoring, informed management practices, and effective stream restoration efforts. By incorporating images and additional details about the specific drone and sensors technology, we can gain a deeper understanding of small streams and develop effective strategies for stream protection and management.

The Comprehensive Rural Village Development Project, a resident-led bottom-up regional development project, began in 2004. This study investigated difficulties and problems in the operation process after the completion of the project, and future improvement plans, through in-depth interviews with the former and current chairman of the steering committee, steering committee members, and office managers, targeting three regions in Jeollanam-do, 15 years after the completion of the project. As a result of the survey and analysis, it was effective in improving the living environment and characteristics of each village and revitalizing the area. And while there were well-run facilities depending on the type of project, there were also many idle facilities. In the case of communal facilities, there was a high possibility of problems in operation and management when the scale of the new building was large. Conflicts occurred between villages in the process of independently operating the area after the completion of the project. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an S/W project program to prepare for after completion. Local governments need to utilize City and County Capacity Enhancement Projects to support regional leaders to participate in educational programs after completion and provide guidance and supervision for village operations.

This study examines the effects of adopting Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in livestock farm management on farm sales revenue. Using the 2020 Census of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, a nationally representative data set constructed by Statistics Korea, this study focuses on a sample of 9,020 livestock farms in South Korea. We employ Propensity Score Matching (PSM) methods to address the potential selection bias between 2,076 farms that used ICT for livestock farm management and 6,944 farms that did not. The findings consistently show that the use of ICT significantly increases farm revenue, taking into account the selection bias. The utilization of ICT in livestock farms leads to a higher increase in sales revenue, particularly for farms with greater sales.

The purpose of this study is to analyze how the orchard scale improvement project affects the profits of apple farmers. For this purpose, the variable profit function of Apple was estimated using seemingly unrelated regression analysis. For the analysis, raw data from the Rural Development Administration's Agricultural Income Survey from 2015 to 2021 were used. Of the 1,009 apple farms, 95 farms participated in the orchard scale improvement project and 914 farms did not participate. The results show that the profits of farms participating in the project were found to be higher than those of non-participating farms, and as the cultivation area increased, profits tended to increase and then decrease. The results also indicated that below a certain size (19,462m²), the profits from project participation appear to be lower. The results of this study can provide useful information to the establishment of government policies and apple farmers who want to participate in the orchard scale improvement project.