• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.190-200
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• 2022

In this study, the island's land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) is analyzed in South Korea using remotely sensed land cover data(Globeland 30) acquired from 2000 to 2020 to meet the requirement of providing practical information for forest management. Analysis of LULCC between the 2000 and 2020 images revealed that changes to agricultural land were the most common type of change (7.6% of pixels), followed by changes to the forest (5.7%). The islands forests maintain 157,246 ha (42.2% of the total island area). Land cover types that changed to the forest from grasslands were 262 islands, while reverse cases have occurred on 421 islands. These 683 islands have a possibility of transition and disturbance. The artificial land class was newly calculated in 22 islands. The forests, which account for 42.2% of the 22 island area, turned into grassland, and 27.8% of agricultural land and grassland turned into forests. The development of artificial land often affects developed areas and surrounding areas, resulting in deforestation, management of agriculture, and landscaping. This study can provide insights concerning the fundamental data for assessing ecological functions and constructing forest management plans in islands ecosystems.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.193-206
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• 2024

This study aimed to quantify changes in forest cover and carbon storage of Korean Peninsular during the last two decades by integrating field measurement, satellite remote sensing, and modeling approaches. Our analysis based on 30-m Landsat data revealed that the forested area in Korean Peninsular had diminished significantly by 478,334 ha during the period of 2000-2019, with South Korea and North Korea contributing 51.3% (245,725 ha) and 48.6% (232,610 ha) of the total change, respectively. This comparable pattern of forest loss in both South Korea and North Korea was likely due to reduced forest deforestation and degradation in North Korea and active forest management activity in South Korea. Time series of above ground biomass (AGB) in the Korean Peninsula showed that South and North Korean forests increased their total AGB by 146.4Tg C (AGB at 2020=357.9Tg C) and 140.3Tg C (AGB at 2020=417.4Tg C), respectively, during the last two decades. This could be translated into net AGB increases in South and North Korean forests from 34.8 and 29.4 Mg C ha^-1 C to 58.9(+24.1) and 44.2(+14.8) Mg C ha^-1, respectively. It indicates that South Korean forests are more productive during the study period. Thus, they have sequestered more carbon. Our approaches and results can provide useful information for quantifying national scale forest cover and carbon dynamics. Our results can be utilized for supporting forest restoration planning in North Korea

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.40-49
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• 2004

An ecological study on a sea urchin population, Strongylocentrotus nudus, a key role species in recovery of macroalgal bed, was conducted in Hosan, Samcheok area on the east coast of Korea. Three experimental plots, namely, AMB (artificially-restored macroalgal bed), BG (barren grounds) and NMB (natural macroalgal bed) were established after a pilot survey in June 2002. Distribution and abundance, grazing rates, predation pressure and predator guilds on S. nudus were estimated in three plots bimonthly from Aug. to Dec., 2002. Abundance of S. nudus was lowest, but median test diameter of the urchin was highest (Kruskal-Wallis test, p-value, p<0.001 in Aug. and p=0.003 in Oct.) in NMB In-situ grazing rate of S. nudus estimated by enclosure cage experiment in NMB was about 12 times higher in Aug. (160.0 mg seaweed/g sea urchin/day) than in Oct. (13.8). Predation intensity measured by tethering experiment was higher in NMB. Most of the predators on S. nudus were invertebrates and no fish predators were found. Predator guilds identified by the fish trap experiment using live or dead sea urchins included who]ks Neptunea arthritica, starfish Asterina pectinifera, hermit crabs Pagurus of. samuelis, Paguristes barbatus, brown shawl crabs Atergatis integerrimus and crabs Actaea subglobosa. High predation pressure on S. nudus in natural macroalgal beds was the likely cause of its low density. Elevated sea urchin density and the consequent lasting deforestation of macroalgae in barren grounds demonstrate the importance of predation pressure on sea urchins.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.21 no.spc
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• pp.28-38
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• 2019

Climate change on the Korean peninsula is progressing faster than the global average. For example, typhoons, extreme rainfall, heavy snow, cold, and heatwave that are occurring frequently. North Korea is particularly vulnerable to climate change-related natural disasters such as flooding and flooding due to long-term food shortages, energy shortages, and reckless deforestation and development. In addition, North Korea is classified as an unmeasured area due to political and social influences, making it difficult to obtain sufficient hydrologic data for hydrological analysis. Also, as interest in climate change has increased, studies on climate change have been actively conducted on the Korean Peninsula in various repair facilities and disaster countermeasures, but there are no cases of research on North Korea. Therefore, this study selects watershed characteristic variables that are easy to acquire in order to apply localization model to North Korea where it is difficult to obtain observed hydrologic data and estimates parameters based on meteorological and topographical characteristics of 16 dam basins in South Korea. Was calculated. In addition, as a result of reviewing the applicability of the parameter estimation equations calculated for the fifty thousand, Gangneungnamdaecheon, Namgang dam, and Yeonggang basins, the applicability of the parameter estimation equations to North Korea was very high.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.145-157
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• 2017

Because of Recent intensive rainfall, nationally landslides and slope failure phenomenon has been frequently occur. Providing proposed-measures to the natural disasters that occur in these localities and the slope, must be derived ground of strength parameters(shear strength) as a design input data. However, it is such as extra deforestation and a lot of economic costs in order to make the access to the current area and the slopes ground survey is required. Thus, by small dynamic cone penetration test machine using the human to carry in the field, it is possible to easily measure the characteristics and strength constant of the ground of more than one region. In this study through researching analysis of the domestic and foreign small dynamic cone penetration test method, it has proposed a cone material and test methods suitable for the country. Cone penetration test Nc in the field has comparated with analysis of the value and the standard penetration test N value. And, in addition to this, direct shear test and borehole shear test were performed by depth, bedrock, and soil type and passing #200 and the correlation of the Nc value. In particular, in the present study, for the sandy soil that has distict distribute in mountain, it is proposed relation of shear strength corresponding to the Nc value (cohesion and internal friction angle) in order to calculate such effective ground shear strength.

• Spatial Information Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.11-20
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• 2015

Abstract Monitoring is the most critical element in implementing "forest carbon offset project" to enhance the visibility of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) in North Korea. This study is intended to explore monitoring potential in terms of forest carbon offset project using satellite image for Baekdu mountain of North Korea. The permanent record of standard satellite remote sensing system demonstrated its capability of presenting area-wide visual evidences of monitoring conditions in Mt. Baekdu mountain of North Korea (site suitability, carbon stock by forest biomass growth, carbon emission by forest biomass loss, deforestation and degradation, environmental, social and economic impact specified in the Carbon Sequestration Law). It doesn't seem very difficult to comply with monitoring requirements for "the forest carbon offset project" due to the probative value of satellite data. Therefore, it could be considerable or realistic approach to utilize CSR based forest carbon offset project as a point of reform and open-door in North Korea. It is anticipated that this research output could be used as a valuable reference for Korea-based enterprises to ensure monitoring potentials using satellite image in exploring forest carbon offset project sites in North Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.43-60
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• 2019

Background: Tropical montane forests played an important role in the provision of ecosystem services. The intense degradation and deforestation for the need of agricultural land expansion result in a significant decline of forest cover. However, the expansion of agricultural land did not completely destruct natural forests. There remain forests inaccessible for agricultural and grazing purpose. Studies on these forests remained scant, motivating to investigate biomass and soil carbon stocks. Data of biomass and soils were collected in 80 quadrats ($400m^2$) systematically in 5 forests. Biomass and disturbance gradients were determined using allometric equation and disturbance index, respectively. The regression modeling is employed to explore the spatial distribution of carbon stock along disturbance and environmental gradients. Correlation analysis is also employed to identify the relation between site factors and carbon stocks. Results: The result revealed that a total of 1655 individuals with a diameter of ${\geq}5cm$, representing 38 species, were measured in 5 forests. The mean aboveground biomass carbon stocks (AGB CS) and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks at 5 forests were $191.6{\pm}19.7$ and $149.32{\pm}6.8Mg\;C\;ha^{-1}$, respectively. The AGB CS exhibited significant (P < 0.05) positive correlation with SOC and total nitrogen (TN) stocks, reflecting that biomass seems to be a general predictor of SOCs. AGB CS between highly and least-disturbed forests was significantly different (P < 0.05). This disturbance level equates to a decrease in AGB CS of 36.8% in the highly disturbed compared with the least-disturbed forest. In all forests, dominant species sequestrated more than 58% of carbon. The AGB CS in response to elevation and disturbance index and SOC stocks in response to soil pH attained unimodal pattern. The stand structures, such as canopy cover and basal area, had significant positive relation with AGB CS. Conclusions: Study results confirmed that carbon stocks of studied forests were comparable to carbon stocks of protected forests. The biotic, edaphic, topographic, and disturbance factors played a significant variation in carbon stocks of forests. Further study should be conducted to quantify carbon stocks of herbaceous, litter, and soil microbes to account the role of the whole forest ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.342-356
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• 2014

This study aims to provide the fundamental data for restoration through the analysis of vegetation structure characteristic for managed area with deforest and fumigation among the places damaged by oak wilt disease in Bukhansan National Park. Study areas were selected in six damaged areas with 18 plots ($20m{\times}20m$) including comparing plots between year 2006 and year 2011 after preliminary study finding the exact location with easy access. Analysis items are density and coverage of under story layer, Importance Percentage of under story layer and Importance Percentage of urban adapted species and alien species. As a result, density and coverage under the canopy layer's vegetation was higher than comparing plot in Musugol valley and Soquicheon valley which 4 years and more passed. And Wondobong, Darakwon, Doseonsa and Dobong valley which had not been passed 3 years after deforestation and fumigation decreased in those of vegetation. However, the plots in Wondobong and Doseonsa was analyzed to be higher in density of shrubs than comparing plot. In terms of distirbution of species in under canopy layer which is grown as a upper vegetation, Quercus serrata and Sorbus alnifolia dominated each other in under canopy layer except for Wondobong and Darakwon. Wondobong continuously maintained Quercus mongolica and Q. mongolica and Pinus densiflora dominated in under canopy layer of Darakwon. S. alnifolia which is Urban adapted species were distributed in most study areas. In terms of alien species, Magnolia obovata and Robinia pseudoacacia were newly intruded in the opened crown, and Pueraria thunbergiana was distributed in Soquicheon valley. As the result of soil analysis, acidification(pH 4.49) and low level of organic matter(3.23%), available phosphate(1.40mg/kg) and exchangeable cation were analyzed and it was considered that those environment poorly support the vegetation growth.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.108 no.4
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• pp.469-483
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• 2019

North Korea has experienced floods and sediment-related disasters annually since the 1970s due to deforestation. It is of paramount importance that technologies and trends related to forest restoration and soil erosion control engineering be properly understood in a bid to reduce damage from sediment-related disasters in North Korea, and to effect national territorial management following unification. This paper presents a literature review and bibliometric analysis including 146 related articles published in North Korea. First, we analyzed the textual characteristics of the articles. We then employed the VOSviewer software package to classify the research topic and analyzed this topic based on the time change. The results showed that articles on the topic have consistently increased since the 1990s. In addition, research related to soil erosion control engineering has been classified into four subjects in North Korea: (i) assessment of hazard area on soil erosion and soil loss, sediment related-disasters; (ii) hydraulic and hydrologic understanding of forests; (iii) reasonable construction of soil erosion control structures; and (iv) effects and management plan of soil erosion control works. The proportion of research related to the (ii) hydraulic and hydrologic understanding of forests had been significant during the reign of Kim Ilsung. However, the proportion of research related to the (i) assessment of hazard area on soil erosion and soil loss, sediment-related disasters, increased during the reign of Kim Jongil and Kim Jongun. Using these results, our analysis indicated that an interest in and need for soil erosion control engineering in North Korea has continually increased. The results of this study are expected to serve as a basis for preparing forestry cooperation between North and South Korea, and to serve as essential data for better understanding soil erosion control engineering in North Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.158-167
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• 2006

The object of this study is to detect of land-cover change in western DMZ and vicinity. This was performed as a basic study to construct a decision support system for the conservation or a sustainable development of the DMZ and Vicinity near future. DMZ is an is 4km wide and 250km long and it's one of the most highly fortified boundaries in the world and also a unique thin green line. Environmentalists want to declare the DMZ as a natural reserve and a biodiversity zone, but nowadays through the strengthening of the inter-Korean economic cooperation, some developers are trying to construct a new-town or an industrial complex inside of the DMZ. This study investigates the current environmental conditions, especially deforestation of the western DMZ adopting remote sensing and GIS techniques. The Land-covers were identified through the linear spectvral mixture analysis(LSMA) which was used to handle the spectral mixture problem of low spatial resolution imagery of Landsat TM and ETM+ imagery. To analyze quantitative and spatial change of vegetation-cover in western DMZ, GIS overlay method was used. In LSMA, to develop high-quality fraction images, three endmembers of green vegetation(GV), soil, water were driven from pure features in the imagery. Through 15 years, from 1987 to 2002, forest of western DMZ and vicinity was devastated and changed to urban, farmland or barren land. Northern part of western DMZ and vicinity was more deforested than that of southern part. ($52.37km^2$ of North Korean forest and $39.04km^2$ of South Korean were change to other land-covers.) In case of North Korean part, forest changed to barren land and farmland and in South Korean part, forest changed to farmland and urban area. Especially, In North Korean part of DMZ and vicinity, $56.15km^2$ of farmland changed to barren land through 15 years, which showed the failure of the 'Darakbat' (terrace filed) project which is one of food increase projects in North Korea.