• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.523-532
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• 2008

A phase II site investigation and feasibility study was conducted at a military mortar shooting range near the demilitarized zone (Kyunggi, South Korea) to assess the extent of contaminants migration to the nearby Imjin river in which a flood control dam is under construction. The results showed that silty-clay soils around target areas were co-contaminated with heavy metals (Cd, Cu, and Pb) and explosives (HMX, RDX, and TNT). The total amount of contaminant was estimated to be 497.1 kg-RDX, 20.6 kg-HMX, 1.4 kg-TNT, 35.2 kg-Cd, 4,331 kg-Cu, and 5,115 kg-Pb, respectively. Both heavy metals and explosives were almost equally distributed on each soil particle size fraction. Neither subsurface soil samples nor ground water samples showed signs of contamination above the environmental criteria. The major migration route of contaminants was soil particles in surface run-off during rain at which a mass discharge rate of 30.0 mg-RDX/hour was observed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.240-250
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• 1983

This survey was carried out to obtain an information for the improvement of nutrition and the enlightment of dietary life in a near by area of DMZ during the later part of July, 1981. A total of 50 households were selected from Tonghyun-ri, Yunchun-eup, Yunchun, Gyunggi province. As a results of survey, the average intake of vegetable food was as high as 98% and that of the protein intake of good quality was not sufficient. Generally energy and nutrition intake were higher than the recommended dietary allowances and national nutrition survey data of Korean. There were no remarkable clinical symptoms related with nutritional deficiency on the entire target, but were some clinical symptoms related with vitamin deficiency on the children. The housewives lived at target area have a tendency to like the food which they are sued to eat daily and that food was mostly self-supplyed.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.119-138
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• 2000

Korean vivax malaria had been prevalent for longtime throughout the country with low endemicity. As a result of the Korean war (1950-1953), malaria became epidemic. In 1959-1969 when the National Malaria Eradication Service (NMES) was implemented, malaria rates declined, with low endemicity in the south-west and south plain areas and high endemic foci in north Kyongsangbuk-do (province) and north and east Kyonggi-do. NMES activities greatly contributed in accelerating the control and later eradication of malaria. The Republic of Korea (South Korea) was designated malaria free in 1979. However, malaria re-emerged in 1993 and an outbreak occurred in north Kyonggi-do and north-west Kangwon-do (in and/or near the Demilitarized Zone, DMZ) , bordering North Korea. It has been postulated that most of the malaria cases resulted from bites of sporozoite-infected females of An. sinensis dispersed from North Korea across the DMZ. Judging from epidemiological and socio-ecological factors, vivax malaria would not be possible to be endemic in South Korea. Historical data show that vivax malaria in Korea is a typical unstable malaria. Epidemics may occur when environmental, socio-economical, and/or political factors change in favor to malaria transmission, and when such factors change to normal conditions malaria rates become low and may disappear. Passive case detection is a most feasible and recommendable control measure against the unstable vivax malaria in Korea in cost-effect point of view.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.454-460
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• 2007

Korean War resulted in the fact that Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the neck of Korean peninsular was totally forgotten by people for more than half a century. But recently, as the concern in this DMZ has been rising inside and outside of Korea, the researches on this subject have been gradually quickening. However, the practical studies about spatial extent of DMZ are very feeble. Even the analysis of the previous studies shows that the most of researches had mistakes in the spatial description of MDL and DMZ, neutral territory of Han River estuary, and NLL. In this study the length of MDL, stretching till the estuary of western Lim- Jin River in Myung-Ho Ri of Goseong region on East Coast, was measured to be about Z38km (l48miles); the area of corresponding DMZ was proved to be approximately $903.8km^2$ ($907.3km^2$ in the previous studies). Such results show that it is necessary to decide the terms for calling the space dividing North and South Korea, similarly to "155-mile truce line".

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.303-340
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• 2010

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of Korea has been crucial not only for its buffering role between two Koreas, but also for the conservation of various resources across its premises. The objectives of this study is threefold. The first objective is to identify major resources that determine economic values of the DMZ and its vicinity. The second and third objectives are respectively to estimate conservation values of those resources using Choice Modeling and to test whether or not respondents living in different geographical locations have significantly different willingness to pay for the conservation. In a very conservative estimation, results showed that Korean adults have about 55,000 Won on average for conserving five major resources : the DMZ area, endangered species, cultural heritage items and sites, the Truce Village, and villages in the Civilian Conroal Zone. This equals the aggregate economic value of about 2,07 trillion Won. Moreover, significant regional differences were found in public benefits from conserving these major resources.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.617-643
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• 2019

The Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) is a buffer zone set between the southern and northern limit lines established after the 1953 Armistice Agreement. It is an important natural environment conservation area where wild species of animals and plants live. On the other hand, the development pressure on the DMZ will increase when the inter-Korean economic cooperation is activated in the future. As a result, DMZ development should consider not only the economic cost-benefit aspects, but also how to assess and conserve the biodiversity of the DMZ, as well as the recovery costs and budget. This paper develope a sustainable DMZ management model under biodiversity uncertainly by using real option approach. The model is also designed to reflect the political risk and regional specificity of the DMZ. Through empirical analysis, I derive the biodiversity threshold (b^*) that can secure the DMZ investment economy under uncertainty. In addition, through the sensitivity analysis, I derive the factors influencing the biodiversity threshold, and suggest the policy implications for sustainable management of DMZ.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.121-135
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• 2014

Object-based classification methods provide a valid alternative to traditional pixel-based methods. This study reports the results of an object-based classification to examine land cover in the demilitarized zones(DMZs) of Inje-gun. We used land cover classes(7 classes for main category and 13 classes for sub-category) selected from the criteria by Korea Ministry of Environment. The average and standard deviation of the spectrum values, and homogeneity of GLCM were chosen to map land cover types in an hierarchical approach using the nearest neighborhood method. We then identified the distributional characteristics of land cover by considering 3 topographic characteristics (altitude, slope gradient, distance from the Southern Limited Line(SLL)) within the DMZs. The results showed that scale 72, shape 0.2, color 0.8, compactness 0.5 and smoothness 0.5 were the optimum weight values while scale, shape and color were most influenced parameters in image segmentation. The forests (92%) were main land cover type in the DMZs; the grassland(5%), the urban area (2%) and the forests (broadleaf forest: 44%, mixed forest: 42%, coniferous forest: 6%) also occupied mostly in land cover classes for sub-category. The results also showed that facilities and roads had higher density within 2 km from the SLL, while paddy, field and bare land were distributed largely outside 6 km from the SLL. In addition, there was apparent distinction in land cover by topographic characteristics. The forest had higher density at above altitude 600m and above slope gradient $30^{\circ}$ while agriculture, bare land and grass land were distributed mainly at below altitude 600m and below slope gradient $30^{\circ}$.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.197-210
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• 2013

Several US veterans stationed in Korea have told the press that around 250 fifty-five gallon drums of herbicides, including Agent Orange, were buried at Camp Carroll in 1978. Joint Korean-US Agent Orange investigation and environmental and health studies were started in July 2011. Korean soldiers and military personnel who served in Vietnam during 1964-1973 or near the demilitarized zone in Korea during 1967-1970 were exposed to dioxincontaminated Agent Orange. The joint Korean-US Agent Orange investigation team found that herbicides, pesticides, solvents and other chemicals -not Agent Orange- were buried at Camp Carroll. However, there remains the possibility that Agent Orange was stored and buried at Camp Carroll or other military camps in Korea. Adverse health effects have not been clearly explained despite a number of health studies among veterans in Korea with potential Agent Orange exposure. Although the Korean government has been compensating veterans and military personnel with 18 presumptive-service-connected-diseases and their offspring with three diseases, there are many veterans, military personnel and civilians who require the government°Øs support. The environmental study on contaminated sites and health studies among veterans and civilians were initiated three or four decades after possible Agent Orange contamination and exposure. Several toxic chemicals, including dioxin-contaminated Agent Orange, could remain in the environment and could have hazardous effects on the health of exposed people for more than several decades. Further environmental investigations and health studies are needed to ensure public safety and health, and government support should be guaranteed for people potentially exposed to these toxic chemicals.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 1998

In Korea, the Demilitarized Zone(Hereafter DMZ) and the vicinity have special importance for a natural ecosystem research. However, We have difficulty in studying this region due to the access control. The purpose of this study is to analyze the landcover and the vegetation status of DMZ and the vicinity using remote sensing and GIS techniques. The site was divided into two regions; less than 2km from DMZ and less than 10 km from DMZ. The analyzed results of this study are as follow. First, the result of vegetation analysis is that the region of South and North Korea are similar in the area less than 2km from DMZ. However, the region of South Korea have good vegetation status than the region of South Korea in the area less than 10km from DMZ. Second, the result of landcover analysis is that the ratio of the landcover of South and North Korea decreased forest, agricultural and grass, built-up, barren area by turns in the area less than 2km from DMZ. However, the built-up area of South Korea increased as much as the forest area decreased and the other areas of North Korea increased as much as the forest area decreased in the area less than 10 km from DMZ. There are some differences in landcover between analyzed result and an existing statistical data. The causes are using one season setellite images, and an existing statistical data with landuse types. The analysis using remote sensing and GIS techniques is the most suitable method to understand the landcover and vegetation status of DMZ and the vicinity. Further studies are expected to overcome the limitation of this study.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.93-108
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• 2014

The inventory list of wildlife species inhabiting or distributing in Gyeonggi Province was made by compiling species data from precedent surveys, 10 national level nature surveys, 1 survey that Gyeonggi-do conducted, and 46 local surveys presented in scientific journals. Total 2,913 wildlife species including 2,041 vascular plants, 39 mammals, 304 birds, 34 herptiles, 145 fish, and 350 benthic macro-invertebrates were listed in the inventory. It explains 47% of nationwide total species in vascular plants, 31.5% in mammals, 58.2% in birds, 65.4% in herptiles, 12.2% in fish. The total number of important species including endangered species, national monuments, national red lists, etc. was 628 species, accounting for 21.6% of all listed species in Gyeonggi Province. More than 90% of endangered bird species, almost half of endangered fish and herptile species were found in Gyeonggi Province. In particular, abundant bird diversity and inhabitation of many endangered bird species were identified in Gyeonggi Province. Species diversity was greater in the northern area adjacent to the Demilitarized Zone and the eastern forest area. The distribution of the important species such as national endangered species was more distinct in these areas, especially in Gapyeong and Yeoncheon Counties. The inventory list compiled in this study implicates the level of management for biological resources and can provide information for policy decisions regarding new survey sites, protection management of specific species and areas, management practices by spatial characteristics. It should be more compiled and updated with survey data to be utilized as basic indices for local biodiversity strategies and management of biological resources.