Traditionally an agricultural society that depends on fertile
soil, clean water, and temperate climate, Koreans' lives were closely associated
with nature. Nature not only provided the means of subsistence but was also
a source of cultural and spiritual inspiration. Korean people valued their natural
surroundings and provisions with a degree of reverence and refrained from extracting
natural resources beyond their immediate needs.
With the wave of modernization in the late 1900s, however, the way people approach
nature began to change. Although the vast majority remained in awe of nature,
those at the forefront of national development began embracing the view that
the environment is an object to be conquered and used to one's own advantage.
Trees were cut down, factories were built, and pesticides sprayed for better
productivity in disregard for their impact on the environment. The perspective
underlying such activities continued onto the 1970s, when Korea carried out
massive structural reforms in social and economic domains to join the ranks
of advanced countries.
In the 1980s, Korea came to see the environmental sacrifices that were made
during the industrializing process. When people attained a high enough standard
of living to stop and take a rest, clean water, blue sky, and lush mountains,
which they long prided themselves on, were no longer there. Dozens of civil
environmental movements sprang up and public outcry against reckless development
projects reverberated throughout the nation. Strong governmental actions followed,
resulting in a gradual reverse in the downward spiral of Korea's environment.
With keen public interest and participation, environmental policies promise
to make headway in reviving the nature and passing a healthy and productive
Mother Earth on to future generations in Korea.
Legal Background
As a means of dealing with environmental pollution, the government enacted the
Pollution Prevention Law, the nation's first environmental legislation, in 1963.
This statute sought to enhance the quality of life by preventing air, water,
noise and vibration pollution from factories and construction sites. However,
due to the prevailing social atmosphere that prioritized economic growth over
environmental protection, the law failed to produce its desired effects.
Recognizing the limits of the Pollution Prevention Law in meeting the ever-increasing
environmental challenges, the government replaced it with the Environment Preservation
Act in 1977. The Environment Preservation Act introduced environmental impact
assessment, environmental standards and total pollution load management, with
a view to improving the natural environment and ensuring the well-being of future
generations.
As industrialization accelerated and economy advanced, environmental problems
grew more complex and diversified and so did people's demand for a pleasant
environment. To address this, the government guaranteed environmental rights
in the Constitution in 1980, and a decade later, divided Korea's environmental
law into six specialized laws in the areas of air quality protection, water
quality protection, noise and vibration control, hazardous chemical substances
management, and environmental dispute resolution. These were followed by a series
of laws on biodiversity and ecosystem preservation, including wetlands, national
parks and wildlife, as well as soil and waste management. As of 2002, there
are 33 environmental laws under the directive of the Ministry of Environment,
the chief governmental body for environmental preservation.
Institutional Development
The Ministry of Environment dates back to 1967 when the air pollution control
team was organized in the Ministry of Health and Welfare. With increasing concerns
about the environment, the central government established a separate environmental
protection agency in 1980. In 1986, six regional environmental administration
offices were established to ensure compliance with federal policies and to facilitate
the development of locality-specific environmental measures. In order to give
coherence to a wide range of environmental policies administered by different
ministries, the government promoted the Environmental Agency to ministry status
accountable to the Prime Minister in 1990. At the same time, local environmental
offices were upgraded to local agencies. In 1994, the Ministry of Environment
attained a full ministry status, capable of making its own decrees.
In line with greater public commitment to environmental protection, numerous
environmental research and development centers were created under the Ministry
in the 1980s and 90s such as the Korea Environment Institute and the National
Institute of Environmental Research. These institutes make recommendations for
policies and environmental standards, evaluate ongoing environmental measures,
develop inspections criteria, offer capacity-building courses, etc. Along with
the evolving public voice, scientific observations of such institutes form the
basis for environmental policy direction and implementation. The Ministry of
Environment also oversees the work of the Central Environmental Disputes Coordination
Commission, which began addressing public environmental concerns and complaints
in 1991.
Although the majestic natural beauty that once characterized the Land of Morning
Calm partially lost its sparkle in the waves of industrialization, proactive
government measures and public environmental consciousness promise a bright
future for the environment. Integrated precautionary environmental policies
buttressed by sophisticated clean production technologies are expected to bring
down pollution emissions in the near future, allowing natural ecosystems to
flourish again and the sky to recover its fine hues. Increasing public demand
and worldwide expectations for each country to perform clean-up duties tantamount
to its national status reinforces Korea's environmental protection efforts.
Although the majestic natural beauty that once characterized the Land of Morning
Calm partially lost its sparkle in the waves of industrialization, proactive
government measures and public environmental consciousness promise a bright
future for the environment. Integrated precautionary environmental policies
buttressed by sophisticated clean production technologies are expected to bring
down pollution emissions in the near future, allowing natural ecosystems to
flourish again and the sky to recover its fine hues. Increasing public demand
and worldwide expectations for each country to perform clean-up duties tantamount
to its national status reinforces Korea's environmental protection efforts.