• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.580-599
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• 2013

After the unification of Three Kingdoms, Silla Dynasty had been on the prosperity with continuous population growth during approximately 120 years. However, Unified Silla Dynasty experienced 11 times of famine and bad year by frequent droughts during 50 years since the late 8th century, and these caused to political, economic and social changes. It is evident that Silla Dynasty slowly declined by the droughts and famines, although ancient records described as still on glory days. Since then, national power of Unified Silla Dynasty was abruptly weakened by migration of residents, and 9 times of rebellion or revolt occurred during 50 years in the late 9th century. As a result, political and social agitations reached the maximum. These led to the collapse of the Unified Silla Dynasty, and King Gyeongsoon handed over the dynasty to King Wanggeon, a founder of Goryeo Dynasty. These resulted from the 500-year-cycle droughts and human activities that seriously devastated the vegetations by using trees as an energy source for hundreds of thousands people during several centuries. The devastation of vegetation destroyed farm lands and led to large changes in river and groundwater systems, and eventually, increased damages by droughts.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.263-275
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• 2008

This Study deals with the comparative analysis on the estimation of surface soil erosion volume between South and North Korea using RUSLE model in Imjin River basin located on DMZ of Central Korea. Comparatively North Korea areas have been more eroded three times as much as South Korea parts. Because of cropland development such as com Held in the hillslope, in North Korea, more surface soil erosion and transportation to the river bed has given rise to frequent flood hazards. It seems that the study can dedicate to mitigation of environmental problems such as soil erosion and flooding in unaccessible Imjin River basin located on DMZ.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.179-191
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• 2009

This study analyzes and compares the geomorphic characteristics and environmental changes of coastal plains such as the Anju and Hamheung Plains located in the west and east coasts of North Korea, respectively, based on topographic maps of the 1910s and satellite images of the 2000s. The Anju Plain, so called by as Yeoldusamcheonribeol, can be divided into alluvial plains, coastal plains and erosional plains. The Hamheung Plain can be regarded as alluvial plains formed by Seongcheon-river. Approximately 84.98$km^2$ tidal flats have been reclaimed to farmlands and saltpans, and the most channels of medium and small rivers have been straightened at the Anju Plain during the last one hundred years. At the Hamheung Plain, on the other hands, approximately 3.40$km^2$ land has been increased by the advances of coastal line of the Seongcheon-river delta with a maximum of 800m, and channels of Seoseongcheon-river which showed anastomosing channels have been disappeared by reclamation. Gwang-po has been decreased by artificial reclamations and river sedimentary processes.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.497-509
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• 2009

Records on natural hazards such as droughts, floods, smallpox and attacks of grasshoppers are classified and analyzed during the Ancient Times(BC 57$\sim$AD 935) based on the Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms Age(Samguksaki main record), and influences on human activities and relationships of each natural hazard are studied. The strongest influences on the agricultural productivity were the drought and the influences of floods were weak. The most floods were not destructive hazards because the cultivated lands were distributed in the valley plains and the towns and villages were constructed in the area free from the floods during the Ancient Times. The attacks of grasshoppers have the high frequencies with the droughts. The smallpox of the Ancient Times has no relationships with the dearth, floods and droughts. This means that the waterborne infections happened periodically and after the unification, the infectious diseases happened continuously due to the urbanization leading the concentration of population on the capital. Two cycles of droughts are recognized, and they happened with the time intervals of approximately 500 years during approximately 1000 years in Shilla dynasty.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.373-384
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• 2003

This study analyses the soil loss due to cropland increase in the Hoeryeung area of northeast Korea, using Landsat images of 1987 TM and 2001 ETM, together with DTED, soil and geological maps, and rainfall data of 20 years. Items of land cover and land use were categorized as cropland, settlement, forest, river zone, and sand deposit by supervised classification with spectral bands 1, 2 and 3. RUSLE model is used for estimation of soil loss, and AML language for calculation of soil loss volumes. Fourier transformation method is used for unification of the geographical grids between Landsat images and DTED. GTD was selected from 1:50,000 topographic map. Main sources of soil losses over 100 ton/year may be the river zone and settlement in the both times of 1987 and 2001, but the image of the 2001 shows that sources areas have developed up to the higher mountain slopes. In the cropland average, increases of hight and gradient are 24m and $0.8^{\circ}$ from 1987 to 2001. In the case of new developed cropland, average increases are 75m and $2.5^{\circ}$, and highest soil loss has occurred at the elevation between 300 and 500m. The soil loss 57 ton of 1987 year increased 85 ton of 2001 year. Soil loss is highest in $30{\sim}50^{\circ}$ slope zones in both years, but in 2001 year, soil loss increased under $30^{\circ}$ zones. The size of area over 200 ton/year, indicating higher risk of landslides, have increased from $28.6km^2$ of 1987 year to $48.8km^2$ of 2001 year.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.630-639
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• 2003

This study aims to analysis the distribution and change of cropland and forest, the Onseong, Saebyeol, and Eundeok counties on the lower reach of Duman(Tumen) river, northeast Korea, using 1992 year Landsat TM data, 2000 year Landsat ETM data, and digital terrain elevation data(DTED). Land cover and land use of the study areas are classified into cropland, forest, village, and water body, using the supervised classification method including 1:50,000 DTED analysis, image band composition, and principal component analysis(PCA). Results of quantitative analysis present that each growth rate of cropland of Onseong and Eundeok are 22.8% and 14.7% corresponding to decreasing rates of forest, 8% and 13.6% during 8 years from 1992 to 2000. In Onseong, Saebyeol, and Eundeok, each values of mean elevations and slope gradients increased to 192m, 95m, and 91m from 157m, 85m, and 78m, and to 6.6$^{\circ}$, 3.0$^{\circ}$, and 4.4$^{\circ}$ from 5.2$^{\circ}$, 2.5$^{\circ}$, and 3.0$^{\circ}$. Especially, in case of newly developed cropland, the values of mean elevation and mean gradient have 225m, 122m, and 127m, and 9.4$^{\circ}$, 5.1$^{\circ}$, and 8.0$^{\circ}$, in above three regions. These new croplands were developing along to deeper valleys and toward lower hill and mountain slope up to knickpoint zone of gradient change. Deforested lands for cropland have formed irregular pattern of patch-type, and become sources for the sheet erosion, rilling and gulleying in mountain slope and sedimentation in local river channel. Though there were no field checking, analysis using landsat images and GIS mapping can help understand actual environmental problems relating to cropland development of mountain slope in North Korea.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.278-290
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• 2005

This study deals with the geomorphic, environmental and land use changes by comparative analysis using Landsat TM images of 1988 year and ETM ones of 2002 year, partly together with the new Quick Bird images having 60cm resolution for more detail analysis, focusing on the Oncheon gun(county) in Pyeongnam Province, west coast zone of North Korea. The main analysis methodology is neural network classification, which is more advanced techniques for the classification of land cover and land use, with higher accuracy rate and lower errors. The TM images of 1988 year show, mainly, the on-construction tide embank for the reclamation at Gwangryangman bay and salt farm on the reclaimed tidal flat. But, ETM images of 2002 year present stabilized reclaimed land, salt farm and rice field, recently transformed from salt farm. Especially, new tidal land has been naturally developed on the coastal shallow out of tide embank and salt farm. The results of the study may help to database coastal environmental changes and to support for reasonable and productive land use of North Korea, and to manage and plan unified national land in the near future.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.453-462
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• 2005

The study deals with surface erosion patterns due to the development of cropland toward hillslope and hilltop in the Oncheon-gun, pyeongbuk province and Nampo city of west coast area in the North Korea, using Quick Bird satellite images with 60cm resolution. In North Korea, for national economic difficult after 1980 year, newly developed croplands have been along the gentle hillslope, in which it is possible for individual man power different from the tideland which needs large scaled man-power and equipment. The new croplands are named Darakbat(terraced farm with embankment) and Bitalbat(titled farm developed on the original hill slope), neighboring with orchard and grouped settlement in lower valley. For supplying agricultural water, irrigation ditches and temporal crop storages have been constructed, connecting Darakbat, Bitalbat and orchard. These cropland developments have caused surface erosion composed of 3 types such as pit, linear and headward erosion, together with rill and gully. Owing to poor management of cropland and irrigation system, topsoil erosion and, collapse and sedimentation of ditch and pool, caused the decrease of agricultural productivity. These analysis using Quick Bird images can suggest original raw data about geographical facts on North Korea agriculture and help to recover their agricultural system and plan future national unified land.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.40 no.6 s.111
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• pp.716-729
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• 2005

In the Yeongpyeong River, one of the branches of Hantan River, there 4 fluvial terraces are identified. During the Quaternary, lava flow from Hantan River had gone 4.5km into upstream Part of the Yeongpyeong River and damed its entrance, and resultantly its lower basin had become a lava-damed paleolake. This study deals with fluvial terrace surface classification, stratigraphic analysis, deposits analysis, and OSL age dating in from Gungpyeongri to Seongdongri in lower reach of Yeongpyeong River, in order to identify Seomorphological Process of the terrace landforms relating to duration of lava-damed paleolake. Terrace surface T4, named Baekeuiri Formation, has been located under Jeongok lava layer to indicate pre-lava river bed. Terrace surfaces T3 and T2 are supposed to be formed during paleolake time, based on $3{\~}4m$ thick sand deposits including pebble and cobble layers, and clay and silt layers intersected with sand ones in nearly horizontal bedding. Terrace T1 is estimated to be formed as post-lake fluvial terrace after dissection of lava dam, based on the more fresh phase of deposits and very low height from present riverbed. The results of the OSL age dating for the T3 deposit layers indicate approximately $33{\~}40ka$, and still lake phase at that time.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.709-717
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• 2008

This study is to analyze environmental problems which have caused by changes of the population and agriculture in North Korea. Main results of the research are following. First, Population of the North Korea shows lower increase ratio less than 2% growth from 1970's to middle of 1990's. This is interpreted by food shortages. Second, population distribution by provinces represented that northern and eastern part of the North Korea were comparatively lower and other western areas were higher. Third, Food situation of the North Korea was relatively better in 1970's, but, 1990's was the worst in the way. Fourth, on the agricultural productivity according to each province, western areas possessing more plains were more higher than mountainous areas of the northern and eastern parts of North Korea. Fifth, Growth ratio of food production and population have grown very steadily until 1990's, but the increase ratio of population exceeded food productivity after 1990's. Sixth, Cropland reclamation for improving these situation have caused deforestation and environmental problems and especially eastern and northern areas became more serious. For the solving these problems of North Korea, it is necessary to get the help of South Korea and international societies with efforts by itself.