• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.46 no.10
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• pp.1017-1028
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• 2013

The purpose of this research is to develop an Integrated Water Resources Evaluation Index (IWREI) which can used to assess the performance of water resources projects in a regional perspective focusing on three major sectors including water use, flood, and river environment in water resources policies. The IWREI is estimated by integrating the Water Use Vulnerability Index (WUVI), the Flood Vulnerability Index (FVI), and the River Environment Vulnerability Index (REVI) which represent the vulnerability in each sector. These indices consist of total 26 indicators selected from the pressure indicators representing the causes of damages in water use, flood, and river environment, the state indicators and the response indicators. The estimated index describes the vulnerability and effectiveness of policies with five levels: Low, Medium Low, Medium, Medium High, and High. The results of evaluating total 115 hydrological units in Korea using the WUVI, FVI, REVI, and IWREI indicate that the project effectiveness in water resources policies is clearly verified by the improved index results compared to the past (early 1990s). Regional vulnerability and evaluation indices developed in this research could be used to establish goals of water resources policy and to select priority regions for project implementation.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.355-366
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• 2014

Objectives: This study seeks to evaluate the vulnerability assessment of the human health sector for $PM_{10}$, which is reflected in the regional characteristics and related disease mortality rates for $PM_{10}$ in Busan over the period of 2006-2010. Methods: According to the vulnerability concept suggested by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), vulnerability to $PM_{10}$ is comprised of the categories of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. The indexes of the exposure and sensitivity categories indicate positive effects, while the adaptive capacity index indicates a negative effect on vulnerability to $PM_{10}$. Variables of each category were standardized by the rescaling method, and each regional relative vulnerability was computed through the vulnerability index calculation formula. Results: The regions with a high exposure index are Jung-Gu (transportation region) and Saha-Gu (industrial region). Major factors determining the exposure index are the $PM_{10}$ concentration, days of $PM_{10}{\geq}50$, ${\mu}g/m^3$, and $PM_{10}$ emissions. The regions that show a high sensitivity index are urban and rural regions; these commonly have a high mortality rate for related disease and vulnerable populations. The regions that have a high adaptive capacity index are Jung-Gu, Gangseo-Gu, and Busanjin-Gu, all of which have a high level of economic/welfare/health care factors. The high-vulnerability synthesis of the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity indexes show that Dong-Gu and Seo-Gu have a risk for $PM_{10}$ potential effects and a low adaptive capacity. Conclusions: This study presents the vulnerability index to $PM_{10}$ through a relative comparison using quantitative evaluation to draw regional priorities. Therefore, it provides basic data to reflect environmental health influences in favor of an adaptive policy limiting damage to human health caused by vulnerability to $PM_{10}$.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.609-629
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• 2012

This study deals with the assessment of low and mid rise multi-story buildings made of stone and /or brick, composite steel and masonry slabs from the sixties, known to be vulnerable to seismic hazard using the "vulnerability index" method based on buildings survey following Ain Temouchent (1999) and Boumerdes (2003) earthquakes, from where vulnerability curves are constructed using the translation method. The results obtained for the case study confirm what has been observed in situ.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.106-117
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• 2012

In an effort to analyze the impact of climate change, Gangwon provincial forest was divided into three sectors; forest ecology, forest disaster, and forest productivity and analysis of their current status from 2000 to 2009 and vulnerability assessment by climate change has been carried in this study. In case of vulnerability assessment, except for the forest ecology, forest disaster (forest fires and forest pests) and forest productivity sectors were analyzed in current status, the year of 2020, and 2050. It turned out that vulnerability of forest fires in the field of disaster would become worse and forest pests also would make more impact even though there is some variation in different areas. In case of the vulnerability of forest productivity there would be not a big difference in the future compared with current vulnerability. Systematic research on the sensitivity index used for vulnerability assessment is necessary since vulnerability assessment result greatly depends on the use of climate exposure index and adaptive capacity index.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.492-504
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• 2013

Objectives: This analysis seeks to evaluate the impact of environmental health factors (EHF; e.g. hospital beds per capita, employees of medical institutions) on extreme-heat vulnerability assessment in Busan Metropolitan City during 2006-2010. Methods: According to the vulnerability concept suggested by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), extreme-heat vulnerability is comprised of the categories of Exposure, Sensitivity, and Adaptive Capacity (including EHF). The indexes of the Exposure and Sensitivity categories indicate positive effects, while the Adaptive capacity index indicates a negative effect on extreme-heat vulnerability. Variables of each category were standardized by the re-scaling method, and then each regional relative vulnerability was computed with the vulnerability index calculation formula. Results: The extreme-heat vulnerability index (EVI) excepting EHF was much higher in urban areas than in suburban areas within the metropolitan area. When EHF was considered, the difference in the EVI between the two areas was reduced due to the increase of the Adaptive capacity index in urban areas. The low EVI in suburban areas was induced by a dominant effect of natural environmental factors (e.g. green area) within the Adaptive capacity category. Conclusions: To reduce the vulnerability to extreme heat in urban areas, which were more frequently exposed to extreme heat than others areas, public health and natural environments need to be improved in sensitive areas.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.429-442
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• 2023

To study the seismic vulnerability of the composite material structure of adobe and timber, we collected and statistically analysed empirical observation samples of 542,214,937 m² and 467,177 buildings that were significantly impacted during the 179 earthquakes that occurred in mainland China from 1976 to 2010. In multi-intensity regions, combined with numerical analysis and a probability model, a non-linear continuous regression model of the vulnerability, considering the empirical seismic damage area (number of buildings) and the ratio of seismic damage, was established. Moreover, a probability matrix model of the empirical seismic damage mean value was provided. Considering the coupling effect of the annual and seismic fortification factors, an empirical seismic vulnerability curve model was constructed in the multiple-intensity regions. A probability matrix model of the mean vulnerability index (MVI) was proposed, and was validated through the above-mentioned reconnaissance sample data. A matrix model of the MVI of the regions (19 provinces in mainland China) based on the parameter (MVI) was established.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.183-194
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• 2014

Discussions for water resources vulnerability and index development with sustainable concept are actively being made in recent years. Based on such index, water resources vulnerability of present and future is determined and diagnosed. This study calculated the water resources vulnerability rankings by 152 nations, using indicator related to water resources assessment that can be obtained from World Bank, VRI (Vulnerability Resilience Indicator), ESI (Environmental Sustainability Index). In order to quantitatively assess of water resources vulnerability based on this indicator, TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) technique was applied to index water vulnerability and to determine the rankings by nations. As a results, South Korea was ranked as the 88th among the 152 nations including Korea. Among the continents, Oceania was the least vulnerable and Afirica was the most vulnerable in continents. WUnited State, Japan, Korea and China were vulnerable in order among the major countries. Therefore, water resources vulnerability rankings by nations in this study helps us to better understand the situation of South Korea and provide the data for water resources planning and measure.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.21 no.spc
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• pp.134-140
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• 2019

In this study, we propose a new method for evaluating the vulnerability to flooding river levee. The purpose of this study is to examine how to apply the factors necessary to calculate the proposed levee flood index. To do this, the safety flood level was analyzed by applying the planned flood level. The levee flood vulnerabilities index was calculated based on seven factors such as freeboard, levee crown section, levee section ratio, safety factor, raised spot length, Seepage line change degree, and critical velocity. The Levee Flood Vulnerability Index(LFVI) of the levee developed in this study was used to levee vulnerability analysis. The results of the analysis were divided into 1 to 7 grades using Levee Flood Vulnerability Index(LFVI).

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.51 no.spc
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• pp.1161-1169
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• 2018

In this study, a new methodology was proposed to evaluate the flood vulnerability of river levee and to investigate the effect on the levee where the water level changes according to climate change. The stability of levee against seepage was evaluated using SEEP/W model which is two-dimensional groundwater infiltration model. In addition to the infiltration behavior, it is necessary to analyze the vulnerability of the embankment considering the environmental conditions of the river due to climate change. In this study, the levee flood vulnerability index (LFVI) was newly developed by deriving the factors necessary for the analysis of the levee vulnerability. The size of river levee was investigated by selecting the target area. The selected levees were classified into upstream part, midstream part and downstream part at the nearside of Seoul in the Han river, and the safety factor of the levee was analyzed by applying the design flood level of the levee. The safety ratio of the levee was analyzed by applying the design flood level considering the current flood level and the scenario of climate change RCP8.5. The degree of change resulting from climate change was identified for each factor that forms the levee flood vulnerability index. By using the levee flood vulnerability index value utilizing these factors comprehensively, it was finally possible to estimate the vulnerability of levee due to climate change.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to evaluate climate change vulnerability over the agricultural infrastructure in terms of flood and drought using principal component analysis. Vulnerability was assessed using vulnerability resilience index (VRI) which combines climate exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Ten flood proxy variables and six drought proxy variables for the vulnerability assessment were selected by opinions of researchers and experts. The statistical data on 16 proxy variables for the local governments (Si, Do) were collected. To identify major variables and to explain the trend in whole data set, principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted. The result of PCA showed that the first 3 principal components explained approximately 83 % and 89 % of the total variance for the flood and drought, respectively. VRI assessment for the local governments based on the PCA results indicated that provinces where having the relatively large cultivation areas were categorized as vulnerable to climate change.