• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 1992

Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) is defined as an activity designed to identify and predict the impact on the environment. In the process of an EIA, the quantitative evaluation is generally performed for the air and water quality which have the national environmental quality standards. But the predicted values for the air and water quality are simply compared to the environmental standards. At present, the EIA process of Korea has no consideration for the possible human health risk resulting from the development projects. Environmental Health Impact Assessment(EHIA) is an applied methodology of EIA to estimate the acceptable health risk caused by a specified level of environmental pollutants. Estimating the excessive lifetime risk that is a possibility of dying of a certain disease by environmental contaminants, is useful as an evaluation technique of EHIA. It is recommanded the decision-makers to make efficient use of EHIA not only the development projects but also legislative proposals, policies and programmes in future.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.141-151
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• 2010

It has been pointed out that the process of environmental impact assessment in Korea has been less of equity and balance between stakeholders, and less of objective validity in writing impact statement and in holding consultations. Thus this study has intended to find improvement measures regarding the processes of EIS documentation and holding consultations between stakeholders during environmental impact assessment process. To achieve this goal this study carried out expert survey method to analyze validity and suitability of suggested measures in accordance with the problems found through reviewing related literatures. This study has found major improvement measures including transferring the responsibility to write impact statement and to hold consultations from project promoters to the third party (impact assessment committee) composed of related stakeholders without project promoters. The developers need to pay for all expenses to proceed impact assessment.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.45-58
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• 2007

Despite the ubiquitous practice of environmental impact assessment around the world, social impact assessment has been alienated from assessment process from the beginning. Not until 1993 was 'Interorganizational Committee' established in the United States to prepare for 'Principles and Guidelines for Social Impact Assessment.' This study is an attempt to critically examine US 'Principles and Guidelines.' First, the study traces history of social impact assessment to reveal why the latter became "the orphan in the assessment process." Second, it critically reviews 'Principles and Guidelines' to find its merits and defects. For instance, a principle regarding environmental justice is perceived as necessary as society has become conscious of social justice and equity while putting too much emphasis on predictive traits of social impact assessments only fosters "checklist mentality." Third, the study reflects on 'Principles and Guidelines' in particular and social impact assessment in general in order to probe what is social impact assessment. To do so, it pays attention to scholars, who have criticized technocratic and procedural elements of 'Principles and Guidelines.' They show that social impact assessment is philosophically and methodologically teleological in that "fluid and contested meanings" between social impacts and the public are meaningful in itself. And simple procedural guarantee of the public involvement, they argue, is not enough to define social impacts. Lastly, from the critical analysis of 'Principles and Guideline,' the study looks for alternatives to improve how to assess social impacts in a Korean context.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.429-434
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• 2009

Environmental specimen bank (ESB) is a new tool to assess ecosystem in environmental impact assessment (EIA). ESB looks at changes in the concentration of pollutants in human and environmental specimens over long periods of time through retrospective analysis of archived samples. Korea started to design its National Environmental Specimen Bank (NESB) in 2007 and planned to launch an operational pilot project by 2010. NESB prepares five Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of shoots of Red and Korean pine, leaves of Mongolian oak, Pigeon's egg, and Common carp's muscle out of 14 planned specimens in 2009. ESB contributes to monitoring the effectiveness of EIA projects and policies by providing a time capsule through ecosystem assessment of representative species. This study reviews ecosystem assessment in EIA and the ESB establishment in Korea and probes NESB applications in ecosystem assessment.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.179-193
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• 2005

As the world's attention turns to sustainability and the considerations of cumulative effects, the concept of Strategic Environmental Assessment(SEA) has become more significant and urgent and increasing number of countries and international organizations now undertake some forms of SEA. The term SEA, however, is variously defined and understood; generally it means a formal process of systematic analysis of the environmental effects on development policies, plans, programmes and other proposed strategic actions. This process extends the aims and principles of EIA upstream in the decision-making process, beyond the project level in which major alternatives are still open. There is a shift toward more integrative approaches and greater use of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as sustainability tools in cooperation with Environmental Management System (EMS). Currently, Korea has EIA system and Prior Environmental Review System (PERS) which is different type of SEA as Environment Assessment (EA) system. APEMI IA MODEL integrated following three pillar(refer to attached figure.1) ; First pillar symbolized decision making cycle with planning process. Second pillar symbolized integrated assessment which tying SEA and EIA with specific impacts assessment(eg: social impact assessment, economic impact assessment, health impact assessment etc) in cooperation with EMS. Third pillar symbolized EA best practical procedure of International Association for Impact Assessment(IAIA). Considering the above, we applied new conceptual model(APEMI IA MODEL) into Impact Assessment for better integrated decision-making in KOREA as an alternative IA system(IS IA MODEL A and B refer to attached figure 4, 5).

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.269-279
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• 2011

Sustainability assessments tend to integrate ecological, social, and economic concerns. Sustainability assessment could be considered the highest rung in the assessment ladder. Broad strategies that seek to integrate individual SEA(Strategic Environmental Assessment) could be subjected to a sustainability assessment. Sustainability assessment could incorporate global and transboundary effects and priorities into SEA and project-level EIA(Environmental Impact Assessment). SEA could provide an environmental context and direction for project-level EIA. Procedural and substantive EIA requirements can be addressed through tiering such as sustainability assessment, SEA, project-level EIA. In Korea, PERS(Prior Environmental Review System) that has been utilized to evaluate administrative plans related with various kinds of development projects should be evolved not only to incorporate environmental impacts into early stage decision-making, but also to implicate sustainability assessments that include social equity and economic efficiency. Integration of SEA and sustainability assessment can be initiated through the application of DPSIR (Driving Force - Pressure - State - Impact - Response ) framework that was developed by European Environmental Agency.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2012

We diagnosed on status and problems of environmental assessment regarding development of offshore wind power, and also on reasonable core assessment items. Most of the coastal wind power are located on the western coastline of Korea and Jeju Island. In the selections of the site for the offshore wind farms, a previous investigations should be conducted with regard to distances from the land, stabilities from external forces (tide, wave, etc.) and topographical changes, and characteristics of the surroundings (distributions of protected area, fishing ground, artificial seagrasses, and shipping traffic). It is needed to assess dispersion of suspended solids, changes of the sea bottom, and impacts on fisheries resources and fishing activities under construction of offshore wind power. Furthermore, the responses of marine organisms to noise and vibration, impacts by electromagnetic fields, impacts on sea birds, hindrances to sea lane routes, and damaged scenery and marine protection areas are thoroughly assessed during operation processes. The consultation criteria in case of development of offshore wind farm is adjusted by focusing marine environmental impact assessment.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.359-367
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• 2003

The total pollution load management system of watershed has been implemented upon Special Law pertaining to the Han River Watershed Water Quality Improvement and Residents Support, Special Law pertaining to the Nakdong River Watershed Water Management and Residents Support, Special Law pertaining to the Youngsan River Watershed Water Management and Residents Support, and Special Law pertaining to the Seomjin River Watershed Water Management and Residents Support in Korea since 2002. But many other similar systems with total pollution load management system of watershed are being operated separately or independently, even though its purpose is nearly same with those of the total maximum pollutants load management in Law on Water Quality Environmental Protection, environmental impact assessment(EIA) in Law of Impact Assessment on Environment, Transportation and Disaster and Pre-environmental assessment of Environmental Policy Act. Therefore the contents of total pollution load management system of watershed and many other related systems could be overlapped and at some times have inconsistency among them. This study suggests first the integrated operation of total pollution load management system of watershed, EIA, pre-environmental assessment, urban planning, and sewage planning and secondly EIA system development by integration of EIA and pre-environmental assessment and strategic environmental assessment(SEA).

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.131-141
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• 2009

We studied improvement in marine environmental impact assessment and related management systems of coastal sediments that are dredged inshore but disposed offshore. After reviewing and diagnosing the existing assessment procedures and problems, we recommend to design the core assessment items and improve the reliability of assessment byenhancing the quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) and verification processes. We proposed eco-friendly disposal plan for dredging sediment such as reuse system in land development was explored. A marine environmental database system was established to support the assessment processes. Guidelines for marine research and modelling were proposed for improving assessment of dredging and disposal of coastal sediment. Also, applying of screening and scoping for marine environmental assessment was reviewed.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.1-2
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• 1994