• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.73-83
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• 2011

The aim of this paper is to explore the concept, backgrounds of an geopark's origin, and activity of geopark in geography, and to debate the Korean name of the geopark (or geological park) in controversial. Geopark starts with the collaboration between International Geographical Union(IGU) and International Union of Geological Sciences(IUGS). However, the intention which is establishing the law of geopark (or geological park) within a specific academic realm in Korea, would be wrong. The reason for this argument is that activities in Geopark have aspects of the conservation of natural heritage as well as geomorphological and geological one. Therefore, geopark should not be focused upon a specific academic realm. The geological scope alone seems to be limited. That is why "GEO" is more than geology. "GEO" involves geographical and geomorphological issues as well. Within this context, in Korea where is in the quickening period of geopark, the discussion and agreement with the Korean name of geopark are absolutely imperative.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.109-121
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• 2011

There are three natural conservation systems that UNESCO assigns: World Heritage, Biosphere Reserve and Geopark. Geopark is one of three preservation zones that UNESCO conducts. In this paper I will explain the meaning of a Geopark as well as suggest that one should be set up in Korea. Geotourism is one important aspect of Geopark. Geopark's main purpose is not only for sightseeing but also conservation and understanding the value of nature through geological and geographical features. I have analyzed the local guide's interpretations from a Hongdo Island cruise tour and suggested new way of interpretation for the tour with the concept of Korean Geotourism in mind.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to investigate earth science pre-service teachers' perceptions and educational utilization of geoparks. It is intended to provide implications of geopark education in the current curriculum and effective geopark education. Education using geoparks has the effect of helping students cultivate inquiry and learning skills, enhancing students' participation in classes. To provide education with these results, it is necessary to deliver meanings of the geopark education to of earth science pre-service teachers who will educate future generations. However, despite the advantages and needs of geopark education, earth science pre-service teachers lack an understanding of geoparks. In this study, 56 pre-service teachers enrolled in earth science education at a university in Gyeongsangbuk-do were investigated for: their perception levels of geoparks, experience, necessity, and learning method of geopark education. As a result, earth science pre-service teachers were well aware of the geoparks, but they lacked knowledge of domestic and global geoparks, confirming the need for geopark education. Currently, the degree of geopark education in the secondary curriculum is insufficient, and earth science pre-service teachers feel the need for it. However, since the understanding of geopark is lacking, support for geopark education is needed. Earth science pre-service teachers being positive about the need for geopark education, it is expected that geopark education will be active in the field of earth science, social, and comparison education when they become teachers in the future.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.81-97
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• 2020

Geopark refers to a single boundary area consisting of a collection of geosites and geotrails, which includes ecological, historical and cultural elements based on geological and geomorphological resources. To ensure the continued development and conservation of existing listed geoparks, it is necessary to carry out an environmental sensitivity analysis of the geopark components by utilizing spatial information from various scales. The objectives of this study are to analyze the environmental sensitivity in Cheongsong UNESCO global geopark in relation with slope disaster using GIS and to understand its spatial distribution in connection with geosites and geotrails. Two types of spatial database were constructed; geosites and geotrails in Cheongsong UNESCO global geopark and spatial data to perform environmental sensitivity. Potential soil loss and slope stability were analyzed to derive environmental sensitivity related to slope hazard. The results showed relatively high environmental sensitivity along the drainage network of Cheongsong UNESCO global geopark. Zonal statistics analysis was conducted for further detailed distribution of environmental sensitivity based on buffer zones of geosites and geotrails. Majority of geological sites, geological trails, Jeolgol gorge~Jusan Pond section in hiking trails, and Dalgi Mineral Spring Site~Artistic Genius Republic of Korea(Jangnankki gonghwaguk) section in road areas show relatively high slope hazard sensitivity within buffer zones.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.93-107
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• 2018

The concepts of geotourism and geoparks have emerged due to the paradigm shift in tourism and the increased recognition of geosites and geoheritage as legacies that must be protected and preserved. The number of geoparks designated by UNESCO and national governments is increasing globally. The purpose of this paper is to propose directions for enhancing Jeju Geopark to perform as a geological educational venue. This study reviewed the present conditions of the education and communication, the media, and the facilities of the geopark with respect to the required conditions to be effective for geological education. Data surveys, field surveys, visitor questionnaires, and interviews were conducted to examine the educational and guidance system of the geopark, the physical space configuration, and the operation and management methods. The research process is as follows. First, the study analyzed the status of the education and communication in Jeju Geopark, according to the criteria of the UNESCO GGN, using data acquired from the survey. Second, the study analyzed and evaluated the educational and communication facilities, and media, focusing on four aspects of the geopark: the geo-trail, spatial composition and layout, communicational and educational facilities, and the system and design of signboards. Third, the study assessed the perception and satisfaction of visitors to the geopark. Fourth, the study summarized the potential and limitations of the Jeju Geopark through in-depth interviews. The four analyses showed that enhancements in the exploration environment, communication, media, and operation and management system are all necessary for effective geological education. Based on these results, this study suggests directions for enhancing the geopark in the four following aspects. Management and maintenance must be improved to meet UNESCO criteria, while the improvements in the visiting environment quality, the supplementing of communication and facilities, and enhancements in the organization and system of operation and management also must be taken on.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.65-75
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• 2021

Over the past decade, the number of national geoparks has rapidly increased, and 13 areas are currently designated as geoparks. After Jeju Island (2010), Cheongsong (2017), Mudeungsan (2018), and Hantangang River (2020) National Geoparks were listed as UNESCO Global Geoparks. Despite the continuous increase in the number of national geoparks and UNESCO global geoparks, the public interest in geoparks and the effect of regional economic development by geoparks are not yet very significant. Some geopark management organizations have developed geopark characters to appeal to the public through intimacy and friendliness, utilizing parks for education and tourism. However, the characters are not being utilized properly due to a lack of plannings, expertise, storytelling, and management. For geopark characters, which have been neglected since development, to perform their original roles, content production based on appropriate budget compilation and analysis of consumption trends in the character market is necessary. Instead of merely using geopark characters, geopark characters should be loved by the public, as well as local residents.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.93-104
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• 2017

The objective of this study was two fold: firstly, we analyzed how the Geoparks have been run since the first one had been designated on December 31th, 2015. We then investigated how visitors' geographical and geological recognitions on the parks have changes. We visited geosites and investigated how well these sites accorded with the conditions for running Geoparks. In addition, scenery pictures and hashtags uploaded in Instagram between 2015 and 2016 were collected in order to analyze visitors preferences on the geosites along the, Hantan Imjingang River Geopark. Results showed that the hotspots were Bidulginang Waterall, Art Valley, and Jaein Waterfall. Compared to the ratio of geographical and geological references in 2015, the hashtags in all of these three geosites increased. The increases were as much as 3% in Bidulginang Falls, 0.6% in Art Valley, and 5% in Jaein Falls. In labelling the geographical and geological terms in Bidulginang Falls and Jaein Falls, the most frequently mentioned hashtags was "columnar joint", followed by "natural monument", "Geopark", and "basalt canyon". This study includes the study of visitors recognition which is one of the most important, but somehow neglected factor for the geopark's management.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.195-215
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• 2019

Geopark is a new system for development of the local economy through conservation, education, and tourism that is an area of scientific importance for the earth sciences and that has outstanding scenic values. The Hwaseong Geopark, the candidate for Korean National Geopark is composed of 10 geosites: Gojeongri dinosaur egg fossils, Ueumdo, Eoseom, Ddakseom, Goryeom, Jebudo, Baengmiri Coast, Gungpyeonhang, Ippado and Gukwado geosites. In this study, geosites, geoheritages, and geotrails of the Hwaseong Geopark were described in detail, and the value and significane as a geopark were also discussed. The geology of the Hwaseong Geopark area belonging to the Gyeonggi Massif consists of the Precambrian metamorphic and meta-sedimentary rocks, Paleozoic sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, Mesozoic igneous and sedimentary rocks, and Quaternary deposits, indicating high geodiversity. The Gojeongri Dinosaur Egg Fossils geosite, designated as a natural monument, has a geotrail including dinosaur egg nest fossils, burrows, tafoni, fault and drag fold, cross-bedding. Furthermore, a variety of infrastructures such as eco-trail deck, visitor center are well-established in the geosite. In the Ueumdo geosite, there are various metamorphic rocks (gneiss, schist, and phyllite) and geological structures (fold, fault, joint, dike, and vein), thus it has a high educational value. The Eoseom geosite has high academic value because of the orbicular texture found in metamorphic rocks. Also, various volcanic and sedimentary rocks belonging to the Cretaceous Tando Basin can be observed in the Ddakseom and Goryeom geosites. In the Jebudo, Baengmiri Coast, and Gungpyeonghang geosites, a variety of coastal landforms (tidal flat, seastacks, sand and gravel beach, and coastal dunes), metamorphic rocks and geological structures, such as clastic dikes and quartz veins can be observed, and they also provide various programs including mudflat experience to visitors. Ippado and Gukwado geosites have typical large-scale fold structures, and unique coastal erosional features and various Paleozoic schists can be observed. The Hwaseong Geopark consists of outstanding geosites with high geodiversity and academic values, and it also has geotrails that combine geology, geomorphology, landscape and ecology with infrastructures and various education and experience programs. Therefore, the Hwaseong Geopark is expected to serve as a great National Geopark representing the western Gyeonggi Province, Korea.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.520-530
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' understanding of the terms presented on the information board in the Jinan-Muju National Geopark. To this end, a survey was conducted with 219 students (147 elementary, 41 middle, and 31 high school students) to determine the level of their perceptions of the geopark, and of the usefulness of the information board, and their understanding of the terms presented on the information boards of the National Geopark. To determine the students' understanding of terms, 10 representative information boards were selected and the entire content was converted into text. Afterwards, 256 key terms were extracted from the text through discussions with three experts, and these terms were presented to students to grasp their level of understanding. The results were as follows: First, the level of students' perceptions about the geopark was very low, so publicity and educational approaches are needed. Second, students were not interested in the information board and had a low level of understanding owing to the large amount of information and reading difficulties. Third, among the 256 terms, the number of terms that students found difficult to understand tended to decrease with increasing school grade: 80 for elementary school students, 53 for middle school students, and 31 for high school students. The reason the students had difficulty in understanding terms was that elementary school students had not yet learned the terms in the curriculum, whereas middle and high school students have difficulty understanding technical terms and Chinese characters. Therefore, the information board in the geopark will need to be easily translated into Chinese characters or additional explanations of technical terms need to be provided so that visitors can understand the concepts more easily.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.136-141
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• 2007

The UNESCO`s earth science division has developed the geoparks program to recognize earth scientific heritage sites worldwide. To respond to this movement, I suggest Byeonsanbando National Park (BNP) as the first geopark in Korea and provide, at the same time, a line of evidence supporting the designation of geopark. BNP has the best qualifications with geological, geomorphological, ecological, and cultural resources. In Chaeseokgang and Jeokbyukgang, there are many geological and geomorphological resources attracting the scientific importance. In addition, BNP has a total of 844 species of wild plants and 550 species of wild animals. Cultural properties abound in BNP, including Koryo bronze bell of Naesosa and Taeungjon hall of Kaeamsa. To be designated a geopark by UNESCO, a management plan of geotourism will be required in addition to the geological, geomorphological, ecological and cultural resources, which should be prepared by the Korea National Parks Service and related local government authority. If the above-mentioned conditions are met completely, Korea would enter the global network of geoparks for the first time.