Korea National Park Service (Chairman Park Bo-hwan) announced the category of Taeanhaean National Park was shifted from Category Ⅴ (Protected Landscape/Seascape) to Category Ⅱ (National Park) under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on January 13.
 

In addition, three specially protected areas in Dadohaehaesang National Park and Deogyusan National Park were certified as IUCN Category Ⅰa (Strict Nature Reserve), for the first time in Korea. Those areas listed in Category Ⅰa (Strict Nature Reserve) are Baekdo, Chilbaldo in Dadohaehaesang National Park and Cypripedium japonicum preserve at Anseong Chilyeon Waterfall in Deogyusan National Park.
 

IUCN protected area categories that classify protected areas into six types including Strict Nature Reserve, Wilderness Area and National Park was officially adopted as an international categorization standard to classify protected areas around the world by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
 

Though Korea’s National Parks are well-managed and offer excellent ecological value, they were classified into Category V (Protected Landscape/ Seascape), so some pointed out that National Parks in Korea fail to keep up with the global standards.
 

To develop National Parks into the world-class level, KNPS has carried out a project to revise IUCN categories for Korea’s National Parks since 2005. As a result, 16 National Parks including Seoraksan, Jirisan and Sobaeksan National Parks were re-classified as Category Ⅱ (National Park) from Category Ⅴ (Protected Landscape/Seascape).

In particular, the alteration of Taeanhaean National Park’s category into Category Ⅱ (National Park) demonstrates that KNPS’ continuous efforts to restore and conserve the health of the ecosystem in the region after the oil spill in 2007 was recognized by the international community.

ⅡAlso, the classification of specially protected areas in Dadohaehaesang National Park and Deogyusan National Park as Category Ⅰa (Strict Nature Reserve) is meaningful in that KNPS’ nature conservation activities including the management of endangered species preserves was also internationally acknowledged.
 

“KNPS will continuously conduct IUCN category alteration/certification project to promote our effort to manage National Parks and their ecological value in a science-based and systematic manner to the world with an aim to exercise leadership in the field of environment,” said Cheong Yong-sang, Director of Partnership Department of KNPS.