• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.169-180
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• 2003

Biodiversity is defined as totality of genetic, species, and ecosystem variability. It provides natural sources of crop improvement, traditional medicine and biotechnology. In 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD) became a legally binding framework for conserving and utilizing global biological diversity. It recognizes national sovereign rights over all genetic resources, such as the need to compensate developing countries for the resources they have provided to the industrialized world. The CBD grants access to those resources in exchange for compensation as well as technology transfer, so that the access to genetic resources would be made under prior informed consent(PIC) and mutually agreed terms(MAT). On the other hand, the developed countries argued that unfettered exchange of genetic resources was essential for scientific research and development, and that technology using genetic resources should be protected. There are many countries today, developing legal frameworks concerned with access to their local genetic resources and benefit sharing. In this study, we analyzed the international trends for conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of genetic resources, and suggested how to cope actively with the situation.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.397-402
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• 2014

In June 1992, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was concluded by 158 countries in Rio de Janeiro. And now, 194 member nations are participating in discussions for their own profit. Recently, Nagoya Protocol regarding Access to genetic resources and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) was approved and took effect from October $12^{th}$, 2014. Thus, it is important to understand the impact of CBD and ABS functioning on researchers studying marine biodiversity. Until now, in the previous Conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the interest towards researching marine and marine living resources was relatively low, and accordingly, the discussions regarding marine and marine living resources were delayed. However, in the $12^{th}$ Pyeongchang Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the arguments concerning Ecologically or Biologically Significant marine Areas (EBSA) and the other marine related issues were discussed. Although, South Korea has not yet officially joined Nagoya Protocol, however the consultations in regard to Prior and Informed Consent (PIC), Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT) and Global Multilateral Benefit-Sharing Mechanism (GMBSM) were discussed. We belive that as a possessing nation of biological resources, South Korean government authorities should revise their management systems protocol and regulations concerning domestic biological resources, in order to strengthen the information system and help academia and industry to utilize the biological resources abroad easily and effectively.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.259-264
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• 2004

Convention on Biological Diversity has authorized national sovereignty over biological resources so that legislative framework should be established. In biological resources management, the access to biological resources and the benefit sharing arising out of their utilization are two most important steps. Bonn guidelines adopted by the 6th COP of the Convention on Biological Diversity contain MAT (Mutually Agreed Terms) and PIC (Prior Informed Consent) indispensable to implement the access and benefit-sharing process. MAT is contractual agreement between provider countries and use entities while PIC is a specific measure associated with consent prior to access to biological resources. Moreover, the guidelines include the responsibilities of national focal point and competent national authority, incentives and so on. Our laws related to access to biological resources have no items on benefit-sharing and intellectual property rights. The role of the competent national authority is very important to coordinate the organization controlling information availability, opening to the public, and intellectual property rights with other stakeholders. But, the national regulations must not interfere with academic studies on biological diversity and disobey the two objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the conservation of biological diversity and its sustainable use.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.39-57
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• 2012

Analysis of the economic impact on Korean bioindustry companies was approached after Korea access to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity (hereinafter 'the Protocol') enters into force. Cost analysis of the economic impact is based on the size of bioindustry market, dependency ratio on genetic resources abroad, ABS (Access and Benefit Sharing) ratio for royalty ratio. Korean bioindustry companies would have had to pay extra ABS cost around 1.3-6.0 billion won for using genetic resources abroad, if the Protocol had entered into force in 2009. And this cost is estimated to be around 13.6 - 63.9 billion won in 2015. All ABS costs account only about less than 0.01% of total Korean bioindustry volume of target years. These show us that joining the Protocol will not significantly impact the bioindustry market in Korea. If the Protocol enters into force, genetic resources users have to pay PIC (Prior Informed Consent) and MAT (Mutually Agreed Terms) cost before accessing the genetic resources outside of their country, regardless of the accession status of the country. This ABS costs and terms on provided genetic resources will be determined by compliance between genetic resources users and providers. As a genetic resources provider, Korean bioindustry companies will have advantage over technology transfer agreements, royalties, licensing agreements, and taxes on profits from patents including traditional knowledge. Also, Korean bioindustry companies are expected to get various socio-economic benefits such as patent litigation and regulatory proceedings as a genetic resources provider. Considering the advantages and disadvantages of the Protocol that Korean bioindustry companies will face together, the socio-economic impact of the Nagoya Protocol on Korean bioindustry companies is negligible regardless of the accession status of Korea to the Nagoya Protocol.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.100 no.3
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• pp.522-534
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• 2011

The aim of this study is to draw forth the tasks for establishing the right of native biology in Korea through the case study on 'Access on genetic resources and Benefit Sharing'. For this purpose, this study decided on its research subject by selecting Hoodia, on which ABS treaty was made the most recently, through the examination of the representative ABS precedents on plant species. This study analyzed the process background of ABS on Hoodia, and compared & analyzed the ABS procedures of 'Bonn Guidelines' adopted by the 6th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2002 and Hoodia case. Together with the ABS major issues in common drawn as a result of this analysis, and "Nagoya Protocol" adopted by the 10th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity, this study intended to shed a light on the impending tasks which Korea faces at present and its role relationship. The research results are as follows: 1. It is required that species habitats should be divided based on biological classification and its subsequent community should be established with the development of infrastructure such as a community's independent production, management and monitoring of bio-species. 2. There needs to be a designation of ABS National Focal Point for sharing of ABS-related general information, boosting of implementation of the relevant convention. 3. There needs to be the establishment of ABS convention system consequent on legislative, administrative, political procedures, and designation of the Competent National Authorities for the provision of the format of Prior Informed Consent (PIC) and Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT) and their contents assessment and confirmation. 4. There should be the establishment of integrated management system of ABS-related research and development of forest biological resources and its relevant research projects. 5. There should be information development through the distribution of responsibility and role between the ministries and offices concerned according to bio-resources, and there needs to be efforts in aiming for opening a working group of academic-industrial institutions for developing a mutually interchangeable system. 6. It's required that the efficient access between industrial circles and the people should be promoted by setting up ABS support center of biological resources in ministry and office's charge. 7. There should be a selection of a national supervisory organization for securement of the right of a local community and monitoring of ABS convention implementation, and a countermeasure system for preventing outflow of forest bioresources. Conclusively, it's judged that it will be possible to inquire into the countermeasures for the establishment of the native forest biology dominion through such research results.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.41-60
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• 2007

Attempts were made to define the elements of debates, impact of decisions of the Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-sharing(ABS) of the Conference of the Parties(COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD) In Korea. Providing policy suggestions to cope with ABS, a cross-cutting issue of the meetings of the COP, was also undertaken. Meetings concerning ABS deal with several key matters such as an international regime, which is a legally binding implementation tool of the Bonn Guidelines, an international certificate of genetic resources' origin/source/legal provenance, and disclosure of origin of genetic resources, compliance measures with prior informed consent of the Contracting Parties providing such resources and with mutually agreed terms on which access was granted. Developing countries, rich in biodiversity and genetic resources, use the CBD as a major tool to maximize their national profits. They demand for national sovereign rights for the genetic resources and indigenous communities providing associated traditional knowledge. At the meetings of the COP, in addition, they requested that developed countries should transfer technologies and provide a financial mechanism for resource conservation to them. On the contrary, the developed countries argue that facilitating access to genetic resources is essential for scientific research and development, and that both Intellectual Property Rights and biotechnology using genetic resources should be protected to maximize their national benefits. Decisions of the COP concerning the Bonn Guidelines and compliance measures with ABS will affect on various socioeconomic fields of Korea, a country which is short of genetic resources. Especially, the importation of genetic resources and land development which might damage genetic resources will be limited seriously. Consequently, overall expenses will increase for the securing genetic resources from the foreign countries and developing biotechnology for conservation and sustainable uses of genetic resources. To minimize the adverse impacts, we endeavor to establish our clear standpoint and to lead the international trends, which are favorable for us. In order to achieve these objectives, government needs i) to proceed researches to lead the international ABS debates actively and to prepare the expected decisions of the future meetings of the COP, ii) to establish a national implementation plan to cope with the ABS and its related decisions, iii) to examine and improve the efficiencies of the national implementation plan with a proper monitoring system, and iv) cope with the other international meetings including the meetings of Trade Related Intellectual Properly Rights and International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture actively.