• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.30-43
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• 2003

The geography, circulation pattern, and ecology show that the semi-closed seas of Northwest Pacific be managed as one complete system. Ongoing multilateral cooperative efforts relevant to marine environmental protection in the Northwest Pacific area, include the Working Group for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) established under the auspices of WNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commissions, the UNDP/GEF Programme on Prevention and Management of Marine Pollution in East Asian Seas (PEMSEA), the North Pacific Marine Science Organization(PICES), and the United Nations Environment Programme(WNEP)'s Northwest Pacific Action Plan(NOWPAP). The present report firstly describes the current situations on the existing regional cooperative regimes for marine environmental conservation in the Northwest Pacific region, with a special respect to the Northwest Pacific Action Plan(NOWPAP) which was adopted in 1994 by Japan, People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea and Russian Federation. Then, problems of the existing regimes are also discussed, together with the suggestion of the possible solutions, focusing on NOWPAP. Suggestions include: 1) the Northeast Asian countries should understand the importance of legally-binding regional convention, and should build up any legally-binding instrument which can function as a big umbrella for real regional cooperation without prejudice to the rights of the States, 2) At present stage, it will be possible to make a regional convention flexible without prejudice to the sovereign right of the States or territorial issues; 3) taking into account that the region often faces many generic political problems that often inhibit the effective collective actions on environmental issues, the leadership from UNEP or other international organizations is required; 4) strong institutional and financial framework should be made, and 5) multilateral efforts to respond to the new marine environmental threats should be taken at the regional level in order to protect the coastal and marine environments in the Northwest Pacific.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.39-49
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• 2024

The construction of underground infrastructure is garnering growing increasing research attention owing to population concentration and infrastructure overcrowding in urban areas. An important associated task is establishing a monitoring system to evaluate stability during infrastructure construction and operation, which relies on developing techniques for ground investigation that can evaluate ground stability, verify design validity, predict risk, facilitate safe operation management, and reduce construction costs. The method proposed here uses satellite imaging in a cost-effective and accurate ground investigation technique that can be applied over a wide area during the construction and operation of infrastructure. In this study, analysis was performed using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data with the time-series radar interferometric technique to observe surface displacement during the construction of urban underground roads. As a result, it was confirmed that continuous surface displacement was occurring at some locations. In the future, comparing and analyzing on-site measurement data with the points of interest would aid in confirming whether displacement occurs due to tunnel excavation and assist in estimating the extent of excavation impact zones.

• Journal of Ginseng Culture
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• v.6
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• pp.105-115
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• 2024

Wild ginseng, grown in undisturbed forest environments, has been maintained for centuriesthrough human intervention and knowledge, leading to the development of current ginseng agriculture. The practice of ginseng farming has long been established in various regions of Korea. However, the ginseng farming specifically in Geumsan was recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2018. This designation was granted after a thorough evaluation, which confirmed that Geumsan's ginseng farming met the necessary criteria, including historical importance, traditional knowledge system, agrobiodiversity, and agricultural landscape. Traditional ginseng farming in Geumsan practices the 'rotating agriculture system', a sustainable land use approach that has been developed over several cycles of long duration (10-15 years). It contains the knowledge to choose locations for cultivation that prioritize the direction of sunlight and wind circulation. Furthermore, it received significant recognition for its agricultural heritage value based on its maintenance of several traditional knowledge systems, including ancestral wisdom and knowledge regarding pre-planting field management techniques. As of December 2023, there are currently 86 locations in 26 nations that have been designated as GIAHS. Among these sites, Geumsan stands out as the first and only site in the world specifically recognized for the cultivation of ginseng crops. This historical record serves as a significant reminder of Korea's prominent position as a major producer of ginseng on a global level. This article first provides an overview of the concept of agricultural heritage, the designation criteria, and the status of the designation. It then identifies, among the GIAHS designation criteria, the agricultural heritage value of traditional ginseng farming in the Geumsan region from the perspective of local traditional knowledge systems.