The wildlife of South Korea includes 8,271 plant species, 18,117 animal species and 3,528 species of fungi and others.[1] 30,000 species are known to exist in South Korea, but it is estimated that there are more than 100,000 species.[2]
South Korea has complex terrain and is surrounded by water on three sides. Therefore, South Korea has various climate zones and high precipitation, and leading to a diversity of wildlife.[3]
In South Korea, there are 18,117 species of animals, including 1,528 species of vertebrate, 13,025 species of insect and 3,564 species of other invertebrates.[1]
Article 2 of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act discusses endangered wild animals in South Korea.[4][5] There are 246 endangered animals in South Korea,[6] with numerous species in need of urgent conservation measures.[7] Endangered wild animals in South Korea include:
Leopard cat is the country's only wild cat. It lives primarily in mountainous regions.[8]
The pigeon which damage residences with their feces and feathers.[17]
Wild boars roam the mountainsides, but have been coming down to the city centers in search of food.[18] These big, strong, and fast animals can potentially be fatal to humans.[19]
Asian giant hornets, when grouped together, can destroy an entire hive of bumblebees. They usually live in large trees and have been known to attack people who accidentally run into their nests.[20]
In South Korea, there are 8,271 species of plants, consisting of 4,662 vascular plant species and 3,609 non-vascular plant species.[1] Wild plants in South Korea include species native to Korea such as Pentactina. Despite the biodiversity, ecosystems in South Korea are unstable because of land development. 67 km2 of forest disappear each year, accounting for 0.1% of all South Korean forests.[21]
In South Korea, boreal forests do not exist in the lowlands.[citation needed] However, subalpine coniferous forest is found in highland or mountainous district in South Korea. Part of Hallasan, part of Seoraksan, fir forest of Jirisan and Gotjawal ForestinJeju Province are the subalpine forests in South Korea. At an altitude of 1200 m–1500 m in Hallasan, there is a coniferous forest which consists of pine, juniper, a Korean fir. Fruticeta is formed in 1500 m–1700 m and the alpine zone spread out above 1850 m. South-facing slopes have more mild weather than north-facing slopes. Therefore, its height extends a little more on the south side.[23][24][25][26]
First grade endangered wild plants refers to species of plant in which the number is significantly reduced by natural causes or artificial factors. The species are selected by the minister of environment after a prior consultation with the minister of central administration organization. First grade endangered wild plants refer to the following species:
Malus komarovii (이노리나무): This plant is found in Korea and in China. The height is 5m. It grows deep in the mountain.[28]
Euchresta japonica Hook. f. (만년콩 콩과): It grows in forests of valleys in Jeju Province. Its size is about 30 cm~80 cm. It blossoms in July and its color is white.[31]
Diapensia lapponica L. (암매(돌매화나무) 암매과): It is found in Mt. Hallasan in Jeju Province. It blossoms in June to July and its color is white or pink.[32]
Cymbidium lancifolium (죽백란 난초과): It can be found in Mt. Hallasan in Jeju Province. Its height is about 10 cm~20 cm. It blossoms in May to July. This plant thrives in strong direct light, being commonly used as an ornamental plant.[33]
Neofinetia falcata (풍란 난초과): It is found in the southern island in South Korea and Japan. Its height is about 3~15 cm.[34]
Cymbidium kanran (한란 난초과): It grows in the southern Jeju Province and its size is about 25~60 cm.[35]
Second grade endangered wild plants are species of plant in which the number is significantly reduced by natural causes or artificial factors. These plants have the possibility of becoming extinct in the foreseeable future. The species are selected by the Minister of Environment:
Euryale ferox (가시연꽃 수련과): It can be found in Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province, but water pollution has caused a crisis of extinction. It grows in ponds or swamps.[36]
Siberian ginseng (가시오갈피나무 두릅나무과): It is found in Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and North Gyeongsang Province. It grows in high mountain forests. It comes into blossom in June to July and ripens in September to October.[37]
Rhododendron aureum (노랑만병초): It grows in alpine region. Its height is near 1 m. It blossoms in May to June and its leaf is used in herbal medicine.[40]
Aster altaicus var. uchiyamae (단양쑥부쟁이): It grows on sandy soil near streams. It blossoms in August to September and its flower color is purple inclining to red. It is a special plant in South Korea and it can be found in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, and Danyang County, North Chungcheong Province.[42]
Ranunculus kazusensis (매화마름): It grows in a ditch (waterway) around a paddy field. Its distribution is in the southern province and west coast. It blossoms in April or May. Its flower grows to 30 ~ 50 cm and it bears fruit in June or July.[43]
Isoetes (물부추): It grows in shallow water. It was found in Pyeongtaek in 1942; however, it died out in Korea and currently grows in Japan. It grows to 10 ~ 30 cm. The plant is dark green and resembles eggs.[44]
Vexillabium yakushimense (Yamamoto) F. Maekawa (백운란): Its size is 4 ~ 10 cm. It grows in mountains and forests in South Jeolla Province and North Jeolla Province. It flowers in August with one to three white blossoms.[45]
Saururus chinensis (삼백초): It flowers in June to August. It grows to 50 ~ 100 cm. It grows in the valley that is well ventilated and penumbra, and air humidity is high in Jeju Province and Mt.Jirisan.[46]
Viola raddeana Regel (선제비꽃): It is a perennial plant that grows rare in a brook in South Gyeongsang Province and Gyeonggi Province. Its height is 30 ~ 50 cm.[47]
Lilium cernuum Kom (솔나리): It grows in mountainous regions. Its stem is thin and strong and it grows to 70 cm. It flowers in July or August.[48]
Psilotum nudum (솔잎란): It grows on the coast in the southern part of Jeju Province. It grows to a height of 10~30 cm. Its root is short and 1 ~ 3mm in diameter.[49]
Wisteriopsis japonica (Sieb. et Zucc.) A. Gray (syn. Millettia japonica) (애기등): Its stem is thin and fragile and the stem's height is roughly 3m. Its scions have fur. It flowers white in July or August. It bears fruit in October. It grows in South Jeolla Province and South Gyeongsang Province.[50]
Cyrtosia septentrionalis (으름난초): Called 'Gaecheon-ma', it grows in forests in Jeju Province. Its height is 50 ~ 100 cm. It is a parasitic plant. Its root contains hyphaeofArmillaria (a mushroom). It flowers brown in June or July.[52]
Polygonatum stenophyllum Maxim (층층둥굴레): It grows in mountains and pastures. It grows to 30 ~ 90 cm. Its rhizome is thick and grows sideways. It blooms in June with a soft yellow flower.[53]
Mankyua chejuense (제주고사리삼): An endemic species of Jeju Province, it is the only plant that was identified of its habitat. It was discovered in 2001. It preserves the primitive shape of bracken. It is called 'Mankyua chejuense'. Its height is 10 ~ 15 cm.[54]
Leontice microrhyncha S. Moore (한계령풀): It grows to 30 ~ 40 cm. It is found in penumbra or fertile region in high mountain. It has three leaves. It flowers in July and August. It is used as an ornamental plant.[55]
The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is the unmanned strip of land that exists between North and South Korea.[56] It has been a representation of the two nations' tensions for over 50 years and it is a contributing factor of the events that led to the Korean War in 1950.[56] Since the Armistice between the two nations, the ecosystem of the area has reverted to its natural state due to the lack of human interference; the DMZ and Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) (a buffer to the DMZ) encompass many rivers and an abundant amount of diverse ecosystems along with substantial amounts of plant, mammal, fish and bird species, many of which are globally endangered.[56]
This area is also home to many other endangered species of birds and mammals, including the Asian black bear,[58] who is considered threatened on the endangered species list due to people harvesting their stomach bile and using it for Chinese herbology.[59]
The importance of wildlife conservation and undisturbed habitats is recognized by many, including the South Korean Ministry of Environment,[57] which wishes to keep the DMZ untouched by people in order to safeguard biodiversity.[58]
The Han River ecosystem is endangered because the water flow changed due to water blocking construction at Ilsan Bridge. Deposition of materials in the river caused environmental damage. The Korean Association for the Protection of Wild Birds claimed to remove the structure, which possibly destroyed the natural ecology and caused the bank to overflow.[60]
The Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office set up an unmanned camera and successfully captured images of the wildlife. In the video, wild animals are seen moving around the alpine wetland and displayed various actions such as hunting and marking their territories. Martens that were observed at this time were selected as endangered animals and they were apex predators in South Korea. The video has great importance to scientific research as it is the first to document the wildlife in real time. In addition, it offers scientists and government officials the opportunity to reconsider the preservation of the alpine climate.[61]
^"'두루미 보호'로 상 받은 수자원공사…알고 보니 서식지 파괴" [The K-Water received a award for protection of red-crowned crane. But it transpired that K-Water had destroyed the red-crowned crane's habitat]. KBS 뉴스. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
^Bang, Jeongsik (1998). 까치에 의한 전력설비 피해방지 대책 [Protecting of Electrical Equipment Faults Caused by Magpie]. Korea Electronics Society (in Korean). pp. 1663–1665. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
^Ryu, Jaehyun (16 June 2016). "애물단지 비둘기·백로, 퇴치도 곤란" [Pigeons and white heron causes problem, hard to control them]. Korea Broadcasting Service (in Korean). Retrieved 29 June 2016.
^Jeong, Hoisung (28 June 2016). "광주 도심서 멧돼지 이틀 새3차례 출몰" [Wild boars appeared in downtown Gwangju 3 times in 2 days]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 29 June 2016.
^Park, Yeseul (12 June 2016). "70대 농부, 밭에 가다 멧돼지에7곳 물려 중상" [Farmer aged 70s bit 7 places by wild boar and seriously injured while moving to his farm]. Kukinews (in Korean). Retrieved 29 June 2016.
