• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.397-416
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• 2024

This study assessed the hydrogeological properties of the deep geological environment to develop safety criteria for the natural barriers used in the deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste in Korea. The assessment focused on the distribution and trends of hydraulic conductivity and permeability properties appropriate for the domestic geological environment, using various in-situ hydraulic test data collected for groundwater development and management. To develop a depth-hydrogeological property relationship model suitable for domestic conditions, the study reviewed various international research examples and applied a representative model that explains the trends of hydraulic conductivity and permeability with depth. The development of the model suitable for Korea involved applying ensemble regression analysis to account for the uncertainty of various factors in the collected data. The results confirmed that existing international depth-hydrogeological property relationship models adequately describe the characteristics of the domestic geological environment. Considering the preferred hydrogeological criteria suggested by countries like Sweden, Germany, and Canada, there is a high likelihood that a suitable geological environment exists in Korea. Additionally, the application of hydrogeological criteria indicative of low-permeability environments showed that suitable conditions for disposal construction increase at depths greater than 300 m, where the influence of fractures on groundwater flow might be minimal at depths exceeding 500 m. This research can serve as foundational information for establishing hydrogeological safety standards for natural barriers in Korea according to international regulatory guidelines.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.781-797
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• 2023

Recently, there has been a rapid response from mineral-demanding countries for securing critical minerals in a high tech industries. Graphite, while overwhelmingly dominated by China in production, is changing in global supply due to the exponential growth in EV battery sector, with active exploration in East Africa. Rare earth elements are essential raw materials widely used in advanced industries. Globally, there are ongoing developments in the production of REEs from three main deposit types: carbonatite, laterite, and ion-adsorption clay types. While China's production has decreased somewhat, it still maintains overwhelming dominance in this sector. Recent changes over the past few years include the rapid emergence of Myanmar and increased production in Vietnam. Nickel has been used in various chemical and metal industries for a long time, but recently, its significance in the market has been increasing, particularly in the battery sector. Worldwide, nickel deposits can be broadly classified into two types: laterite-type, which are derived from ultramafic rocks, and ultramafic hosted sulfide-type. It is predicted that the development of sulfide-type, primarily in Australia, will continue to grow, while the development of laterite-type is expected to be promoted in Indonesia. This is largely driven by the growing demand for nickel in response to the demand for lithium-ion batteries. The global lithium ores are produced in three main types: brine lake (78%), rock/mineral (19%), and clay types (3%). Rock/mineral type has a slightly higher grade compared to brine lake type, but they are less abundant. Chile, Argentina, and the United States primarily produce lithium from brine lake deposits, while Australia and China extract lithium from both brine lake and rock/mineral sources. Canada, on the other hand, exclusively produces lithium from rock/mineral type. Vanadium has traditionally been used in steel alloys, accounting for approximately 90% of its usage. However, there is a growing trend in the use for vanadium redox flow batteries, particularly for large-scale energy storage applications. The global sources of vanadium can be broadly categorized into two main types: vanadium contained in iron ore (81%) produced from mines and vanadium recovered from by-products (secondary sources, 18%). The primary source, accounting for 81%, is vanadium-iron ores, with 70% derived from vanadium slag in the steel making process and 30% from ore mined in primary sources. Intermediate vanadium oxides are manufactured from these sources. Vanadium deposits are classified into four types: vanadiferous titanomagnetite (VTM), sandstone-hosted, shale-hosted, and vanadate types. Currently, only the VTM-type ore is being produced.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.165-171
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• 2006

For several thousand years, Korean ginseng has been used as a medicinal herb in the oriental countries. Korea is the ginseng suzerain and, for that reason, the ginseng as a special crop in Korea has been exported to the world market since the era of the three Kingdoms. Hong Kong is the pivot of ginseng import from all of the world. In 1970s, Korea ginseng had a high market share (about 30%) in Hong Kong. However, recently, the market share of Korean ginseng in Hong Kong has been significantly reduced due to the mass production from China and Canada. Besides, America with aggressive marketing strategy takes the leadership in the international ginseng market in Hong Kong. Therefore, it is necessary for Korea to know and understand world ginseng market condition and situation in Hong Kong. The objective of this study is to identify the actual import situation at international ginseng market in Hong Kong. This study analyzed the ginseng import demand model which effected by several price variables from major importing countries at the international ginseng market in Hong Kong. The findings of this study show that the import price of Korean ginseng has an effect on the quantity of ginseng imported from other countries in Hong Kong. In addition, the quantity of ginseng imported from Korea in Hong Kong is influenced by the import price of ginseng from other countries. In conclusion, Korean ginseng plays an important role at the international ginseng market in Hong Kong.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.6 s.175
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• pp.717-729
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• 2005

Peak cooling load of large buildings is generally greater than their peak heating load. Internal and solar heat gains are used fur selection of adquate equipment in large building in cold winter climate like Canada and even Korea. The cost of geothermal heat exchanger to meet the cooling loads can increase the initial cost of ground source heat pump system to the extend less costly conventional system often chosen. Thermal ice storage system has been used for many years in Korea to reduce chiller capacity and shift Peak electrical time and demand. A distribution system designed to take advantage of heat extracted from the ice, and use of geothermal loop (geothermal heat exchanger) to heat as an alternate heat source and sink is well known to provide many benifits. The use of thermal energy storage (TES) reduces the heat pump capacity and peak cooling load needed in large building by as much as 40 to $60\%$ with less mechanical equipment and less space for mechanical room. Additionally TES can reduce the size and cost of the geothermal loop by 1/3 to 1/4 compared to ground coupled heat pump system that is designed to meet the peak heating and cooling load and also can eliminate difficuties of geothermal loop installation such as space requirements and thermal conditions of soil and rock at the urban area.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.330-339
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• 2010

In order to suggest correct direction of researches on Miscanthus spp. which are promising bioenergy crop, authors had reviewed and summarized various literature about botanical taxonomy, morphology and present condition of breeding, cultivation and utilization of miscanthus. Among the genus of Miscanthus which are known 17 species, the most important species are M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus which origin are East Asia including Korea, and M. x giganteus which is inter-specific hybrid of tetraploid M. sacchariflorus and diploid M. sinensis. Miscanthus is superior to other energy crops in resistance to poor environments including cold, saline and damp soil, nitrogen utilization efficiency, budget of input energy and carbon which are required for producing biomass and output which are stored in biomass. The major species for production of energy and industrial products including construction material in Europe, USA and Canada is M. x giganteus which was introduced from Japan in 1930s. In present, many breeding programs are conducted to supplement demerits of present varieties and to develop "Miscanes" which is hybrid of miscanthus and sugar cane. In Korea, the researches on breeding and cultivation of miscanthus were initiated in 2007 by collecting germplasms, and developed "Goedae-Uksae 1" which is high biomass yield and "mass propagation method of miscanthus" which can improve propagation efficiency in 2009. In order to develop "Korean miscanthus industry" in future, the superior varieties available not only domestic but also foreign market should be developed by new breeding method including molecular markers. Researches on production process of cellulosic bio-ethanol including pre-treatment and saccharification of miscanthus biomass also should be strengthen.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.93-111
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• 2005

Defining soil quality in scopes and applications is one of the prerequisite for the sustainable management of soil environment to orient researches, strategies and policies. However, definition of soil quality is controversial depending upon a viewpoint of soil science or soil environment. Soil quality can be, irrespective of the disciplines, defined as the capacity of a soil to function within ecosystem boundaries to sustain biological productivity, maintain environmental quality and promote plant and animal health. Common to all of the soil quality concepts can be summarized as the capacity of soil to function effectively at present and in the future. The OECD includes soil quality as one of the agri-environment indicators. This article intends to i) summarize the current soil quality research, and ii) provide information on protocol of soil quality assessment. A framework for soil quality was divided into three steps: indicator selection as minimum data set (MDS), scoring of the selected indicators, and integration of scores into soil quality index. Korean government suggested possible physical and chemical indicators such as bulk density and organic matter for paddy and upland soils to OECD. The framework of soil quality assessment is not yet implemented in Korea. Countries such as USA, Canada and New Zealand have constructed the framework on soil quality assessment and developed a user-friendly version of soil quality assessment tools to evaluate the integrated effects of various soil management practices. The protocol provided in this review might help policymakers, scientists, and administrators improve awareness about soil quality and understand the way of soil environment management.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.417-426
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• 2002

Inductively Coupled Plasma Dynamic Reaction Cell Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry (ICP-DRC-QMS) was characterized for the detection of the six naturally occurring calcium isotopes. The effect of the operating conditions of the DRC system was studied to get the best signal-to-noise ratio. This experiment shows that the potentially interfering ions such as $Ar^+$, ${CO_2}^+$, ${NO_2}^+$, $CNO^+$ at the calcium masses m/z 40, 42, 43, 44 and 48 were removed by flowing $NH_3$ gas at the rate of 0.7 mL/min $NH_3$ as reactive cell gas in the DRC with a RPq value (rejection parameter) of 0.6. The limits of detection for $^{40}Ca$, $^{42}Ca$, $^{43}Ca$, $^{44}Ca$, and $^{48}Ca$ were 1, 29, 169, 34, and 15 pg/mL, respectively. This method was applied to the determination of calcium in synthetic food digest samples (CCQM-P13) provided by LGC for international comparison. The isotope dilution method was used for the determination of calcium in the samples. The uncertainty evaluation was performed according to the ISO/GUM and EURACHEM guidelines. The determined mean concentration and its expanded uncertainty of calcium was ($66.4{\pm}1.2$) mg/kg. In order to assess our method, two reference samples, Riverine Water reference sample (NRCC SLRS-3) and Trace Elements in Water reference sample (NIST SRM 1643d), were analyzed.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 2021

In the Arctic Ocean, the distribution of sea ice and ice sheets changes as climate changes. Because the distribution of ice cover influences the mineral composition of marine sediments, studying marine sediments transported by sea ice or iceberg is very important to understand the global climate change. This study analyzes marine sediment samples collected from the Arctic Ocean and infers the provenance of the sediments to reconstruct the paleoenvironment changes of the western Arctic. The analyzed samples include four gravity cores collected from the Araon mound in the Chukchi Plateau and one gravity core collected from the slope between the Araon mounds. The core sediments were brown, gray, and greenish gray, each of which corresponds to the characteristic color of sediments deposited during the interglacial/glacial cycle in the western Arctic Ocean. We divide the core sediments into three units based on the analysis of bulk mineral composition, clay mineral composition, and Ice Rafted Debris (IRD) as well as comparison with previous study results. Unit 3 sediments, deposited during the last glacial maximum, were transported by sea ice and currents after the sediments of the Kolyma and Indigirka Rivers were deposited on the continental shelf of the East Siberian Sea. Unit 2 sediments, deposited during the deglacial period, were from the Kolyma and Indigirka Rivers flowing into the East Siberian Sea as well as from the Mackenzie River and the Canadian Archipelago flowing into the Beaufort Sea. Unit 2 sediments also contained an extensive amount of IRD, which originated from the melted Laurentide Ice Sheet. During the interglacial stage, fine-grained sediments of Unit 1 were transported by sea ice and currents from Northern Canada and the East Siberian Sea, but coarse-grained sediments were derived by sea ice from the Canadian Archipelago.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.1
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• pp.55-65
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• 2009

Annex I parties continued its consideration of how to address, the definitions, modalities, rules and guidelines for the treatment of Land Use, Land-use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) in the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol by the year of 2009. In the AWG-KP conference held in Accra, Ghana in 2008, four alternatives (gross-net carbon accounting, net-net with base year or base period accounting, net-net with forward looking baseline accounting, and land-based accounting method) for negotiations were decided in order to revise gross-net accounting method applied during the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. In this study, alternative scenarios are set in consideration with reporting system (voluntary or compulsory), discount factors and cap about these three alternatives except for the method of net-net with forward looking baseline accounting, and then estimates the Removal Unit (RMU) among the countries. In the case that article 3.4 activities under the Kyoto Protocol revises from voluntary reporting to mandatory reporting, it is estimated that the loss of RMU would be huge in Russia, Australia, New Zealand, as well as Canada potentially. Net-net with base year or base period carbon accounting and land-based carbon accounting method have big difference of RMU in accordance with the base year or the base period. So the more unfavorable the country with a lot of old-age forests was, the closer the base year or period comes to the commitment period in the context of RMU. If it is getting lowered for the current rate of 85% in discount factors, RMU is getting higher to the whole countries. Therefore in Korea with little potential for afforestation and reforestation, there was the most sensitive response to the change of discount factors. Post-2012 LULUCF hereafter, it is strongly expected for the succession of current carbon accounting system which is voluntary reporting of gross-net carbon accounting and the activity for article 3.4. Other carbon accounting method is hard to accept in aspect that there is big differentiated interests among the countries and it is required enormous cost and time to develop reliable method. Provide for Post-2012 mandatory greenhouse gas reduction, Korea needs to have a competitive negotiation strategies differentiated from Annex I countries. The most reliable alternative would be to lower the discounting factors about the activities for forest management.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.97-158
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• 2010

The purpose of this paper is to research on the contents and improvement of national legislations relating to space development in Korea to make the sustainable progress of space development project in Korea. Korea has launched its first satellite KITST-1 in 1992. The National Space Committee has established "The Space Development Promotion Basic Plan" in 2007. The plan addressed the development of total 13 satellites by 2010 and the space launch vehicle by 2020, and the launch of moon exploration spaceship by 2021. Korea has built the space center at Oinarodo, Goheng Province in June 2009. In Korea the first small launch vehicle KSLV-1 was launched at the Naro Space Center in August 2009, and its second launch was made in June 2010. The United Nations has adopted five treaties relating to the development of outer space as follows : The Outer Space Treaty of 1967, the Rescue and Return Agreement of 1968, the Liability Convention of 1972, the Registration Convention of 1974, and the Moon Treaty of 1979. All five treaties has come into force. Korea has ratified the Outer Space Treaty, the Rescue and Return Agreement, the Liability Convention and the Registration Convention excepting the Moon Treaty. Most of development countries have enacted the national legislation relating to the development of our space as follows : The National Aeronautic and Space Act of 1958 and the Commercial Space Act of 1998 in the United States, Outer Space Act of 1986 in England, Establishment Act of National Space Center of 1961 in France, Canadian Space Agency Act of 1990 in Canada, Space Basic Act of 2008 in Japan, and Law on Space Activity of 1993 in Russia. There are currently three national legislations relating to space development in Korea as follows : Aerospace Industry Development Promotion Act of 1987, Outer Space Development Promotion Act of 2005, Outer Space Damage Compensation Act of 2008. The Ministry of Knowledge Economy of Korea has announced the Full Amendment Draft of Aerospace Industry Development Promotion Act in December 2009, and it's main contents are as follows : (1) Changing the title of Act into Aerospace Industry Promotion Act, (2) Newly regulating the definition of air flight test place, etc., (3) Establishment of aerospace industry basic plan, establishment of aerospace industry committee, (4) Project for promoting aerospace industry, (5) Exploration development, international joint development, (6) Cooperative research development, (7) Mutual benefit project, (8) Project for furthering basis of aerospace industry, (9) Activating cluster of aerospace industry, (10) Designation of air flight test place, etc., (11) Abolishing the designation and assistance of specific enterprise, (12) Abolishing the inspection of performance and quality. The Outer Space Development Promotion Act should be revised with regard to the following matters : (1) Overlapping problem in legal system between the Outer Space Development Promotion Act and the Aerospace industry Development promotion Act, (2) Distribution and adjustment problem of the national research development budget for space development between National Space Committee and National Science Technology Committee, (3) Consideration and preservation of environment in space development, (4) Taking the legal action and maintaining the legal system for policy and regulation relating to space development. The Outer Space Damage Compensation Act should be revised with regard to the following matters : (1) Definition of space damage and indirect damage, (2) Currency unit of limit of compensation liability, (3) Joint liability and compensation claim right of launching person of space object, (4) Establishment of Space Damage Compensation Council. In Korea, it will be possible to make a space tourism in 2013, and it is planned to introduce and operate a manned spaceship in 2013. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the policy relating to the promotion of commercial space transportation industry. Also it is necessary to make the proper maintenance of the current Aviation Law and space development-related laws and regulations for the promotion of space transportation industry in Korea.