Analysis of Characteristics of Debris Flow Susceptibility in Rugged Mountain Range in the Seoraksan National Park, Korea

This study was conducted to obtain the basic research about Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus), and to establish a conservation area into Seoraksan(Mt.) National Park, South Korea. We recorded Siberian roe deer field signs (bedding sites, feeding areas, feces and tracks etc), and habitat variables such as nearest distance to the watercourse, trails, slope, aspect, forest type and land cover etc. from Jan. 2006 to Dec. 2007 in Seoraksan(Mt.) National Park. According to the research of habitat characteristics of Siberian roe deer inhabited in Seoraksan(Mt.) National Park preferred mixed forest consisted of aged forest and middle-aged forest on the gentle slope which was close to hydrosphere in the middle elevation area of altitude of 400~600m above sea level in Seoraksan(Mt.) National Park. The results indicated that Siberian roe deer appeared to prefer south slope or north slope during the snow season and west or east slope during the non-snow season. The area of most suitable habitat for Siberian roe deer in Seoraksan(Mt.) National Park was 125.8km (32% of the total area) followed by 244.3km buffer area (62.2% of the total area), and 22.9km unsuitable habitat area (5.8% of the total area), which means environmentally unsuitable habitat for Siberian roe deer was rare in Seoraksan(Mt.) National Park. Thus, the area 92 박용수.이우신 󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏 classified as major area in Seoraksan(Mt.) National Park appeared to be most important for the protection of Siberian roe deer.

In this study, remote sensing technology was used to assess the carbon stocks of forest vegetation in the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area in Mongolia and Seoraksan National Park in South Korea. The aboveground biomass of the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area in 2021 was estimated to be approximately 65 million tons, which is equivalent to approximately 46 million tons of carbon. By contrast, the aboveground biomass of Seoraksan National Park in the same year was approximately 6.07 million tons, with a carbon stock of approximately 4.34 million tons. The carbon stock per unit area was higher in Seoraksan National Park (104.23 ton C/ha vs. 51.78 ton C/ha in the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area). The biomass of the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area had decreased by approximately 4 million tons since 2010, whereas that at Seoraksan National Park showed no significant difference over the same period. These results suggest that the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area could emit approximately 939,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The findings of this study are expected to serve as an important reference for management of the forest ecosystem and the formulation of climate change response policies in both countries.

National parks are geographically located in mountain areas, and natural disaster of risk factors are scattered, and damage to human life and property is continuously occurring due to various safety accidents. This study tried to suggest an efficient trail safety management plan by comparing and analyzing the distribution and characteristics of risk factors in Bukhansan and Seoraksan National Park, which show similar characteristics, based on the trail safety evaluation data collected from the previous studies. In Bukhansan National Park, risk factors due to safety accidents such as fall and slipping are very high, whereas in Seoraksan National Park, the distribution of risk factors for falling rocks is higher than safety accidents. These results improved the existing standardized policy direction for trail safety management and derived the necessity of establishing subdivided standards according to environmental factors such as geology, topography, and visitor characteristics, even in national parks with similar environments. This study is expected to contribute to the improvement of trail safety management technology, enhancement of expertise, and prevention of damage to human life and property due to systematic safety management.

Spatial Distribution of Evergreen Coniferous Dead Trees in Seoraksan National Park -In the Case of Northwestern Ridge-

본 연구는 설악산국립공원에 서식하고 있는 조류군집의 계절적, 고도별 분포 현황을 조사, 분석하고 조류군집의 특성을 파악하기 위해 오색-대청봉과 백담사-대청봉 지역에서 2001년 5월부터 10월까지의 기간동안 실시되었다. 2개 조사 지역에서 쇠박새, 쇠솔새, 진박새, 동고비 등이 전체 고도별 구간에서 고르게 분포하고 있는 것으로 나타났으며, 참매, 칼새, 진홍가슴, 유리딱새, 솔새사촌, 노랑눈썹솔새, 검은머리방울새, 떼까마귀 등은 해발고도가 높은 지역에서만 관찰되었다. 동고비와 어치는 번식기인 봄과 그 밖의 계절 사이에 분포하는 고도에 차이가 있었다. 각각의 종들이 해발고도별로 분포를 달리하는 것은 서식에 필요한 다양한 자원을 효과적으로 얻기 위한 적응 형태인 것으로 보이며, 각 종별 생태에 대한 깊이 있는 연구가 수행되어야 할 것으로 판단된다. This study was conducted to clarify the characteristics of attitudinal bled communities in Mt. Seoraksan National Park from May to Oct. 2001. Marsh tit Parus palustris, Arctic warbler Phylloscipus borealis, coal tit Parus ater and Eurasian nuthatchh Sitta europaea evenly distributed in almost elevational ranges. Goshawk Accipiter gentilis, black grouse Tetrao tetrix, white-rumped swift Apus pacificus, Siberian rubythroat Luscinia calliope, red-flanked bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus, dusky warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus, yellow-browned warbler Phylloscopus inomatus, siskin Carduelis spinus and rook Corvus frugilegus were only observed in high altitude area. Distribution pattern of birds in Mt. Seoraksan National Park showed differences by elevation. There was difference in altitudinal distribution pattern of birds in Mt. Seoraksan National Park. It seems that habitat preference or selection is different in each species. Altitudinal habitat preference of each bird species need further studies.

Most of forest birds have the characteristics for habitat selection. The purpose of this study is to clarify the vegetation structure in breeding area of Siberian rubythroat (Luscinia calliope). In Daecheongbong peak, Mt. Seoraksan national park, South Korea from May to August, 2001, breeding population of Siberian rubythroat and the dominant species in breeding area of Siberian rubythroat (Luscinia calliope) were surveyed by line transect method along the ridge in the Daecheongbong peak area. Number of individuals and location of song posts were observed and recorded. According to the survey results, the study area was classified into high, middle and low density areas. Those birds selected the forest area of dominant species for Erman’s birch and dwarf Siberian pine as habitat and preferred the shrubs area with the lower height and higher coverage.

The long-tailed goral (also called the Amur goral) Naemorhedus caudatus (subfamily Caprinae), a vulnerable and protected species designated by IUCN and CITES, has sharply been declining in the population size and is now becoming critically endangered in South Korea. This species has been conserved as a natural monument by the Korean Cultural Heritage Administration since 1968. In this study, using 78 fecal DNA samples with a non-invasive genetic approach, we assessed the genetic integrity and individual identification-based population size for the goral population from Seoraksan National Park representing the largest wild population in Korea. Using the successfully isolated 38 fecal DNA, phylogeographic and population genetic analyses were performed with mitochondrial DNA control region (CR) sequences and nine microsatellite loci. We found seven CR haplotypes, of which five were unique to the Seoraksan population, considering previously determined haplotypes in Korean populations. The Seoraksan population showed higher haplotype diversity (0.777 ± 0.062) and mean number of alleles (4.67 ± 1.563) relative to southern populations in Korea reported from previous studies, with no signal of a population bottleneck. Microsatellite-based individual identification estimate based on probability of identity (PID) indicated a population size of ≥30 in this population. Altogether, we suggest that for future management efforts of this species in the Seoraksan National Park, conserving its genetic integrity as an ‘endemic’ lineage, and curbing a decrease in its number through mitigating habitat destruction might be key to secure the population for the long term.

From the Seoraksan National Park, Korea, a new enchytraeid genus, Globulidrilus gen. nov., is defined and three new species, Globulidrilus helgei sp. nov., Fridericia seoraksani sp. nov. and Mesenchytraeus longiductus sp. nov., are described. Globulidrilus also includes Marionina riparia Bretscher, 1899 augm. Černosvitov 1928, a globally distributed species with a complicated taxonomic history. Pending a revision of Marionina riparia sensu latu (auct.), we retain the species name riparia for a variant of common occurrence in Europe.

As ten years have passed since national parks were adjusted and released inceptively, it is the time for evaluating the effectiveness of the national park policy and improving it on the basis of the evaluation result. In this study, the method of appraising the environmental and socio-economical ripple effect on the implementation of national park regulation were provided, based on the institutional consideration, the environment analysis, the survey of residents consciousness, the statistical analysis and so on. It is applied to target sites where were released from national parks, and the policy direction was suggested for sustainable use and management of national parks. National parks, that exhibit various characteristics depending on geographical and local conditions, were categorized through the statistical approach. Released sites from Seoraksan National park, where was categorized as the core national park for sustainable use and management, were evaluated environmentally based on the time-series analysis of environmental thematic maps and socio-economically based on the survey on residents perceptions. As a result of this study, the environmental effect of released sites has been declined or threatened, and the residents' economic, social and living condition in these areas are still not improved(p<0.05) since the adjustment of national parks. Based on the policy approach reflecting regional characteristics, natural resources are kept and enhanced for the sustainable use and management of national parks. And a consensus on the national park policy of national park should be developed between local residents and voluntary participation and public awareness should be attracted from them, based on the construction and the supplement of the infrastructure.

The assessment of spatio-temporal patterns of visitors’ activities in national parks is essential to mitigate impacts to natural resources as well as manage experiences. With the use of a GPS-based mobile exercise application dataset, this study explored the spatio-temporal patterns of visitors’ activities in Seoraksan National Park, South Korea. A total of 1,206 anonymous mobile application users along with their 2,571 activity start points were acquired for January 2015 to December 2015. GIS-based hot spot analyses were employed to analyze the spatial patterns of activity points over time. Results indicated activity hot spots for hours (i.e., dawn, morning, afternoon, and evening) as well as risky points (i.e., falling-rocks, risk of structure collapse, or lightning) during dark hours (night) across seasons. Findings from this study can assist managers to allocate their spatio-temporal park management resources effectively to minimize environmental impacts, and enhance visitor experiences and safety. Furthermore, GPS-based mobile exercise application can be used as an alternative tool to assess spatio-temporal use of visitors in national parks.

This study examined visitor use of Seoraksan National Park in Korea by seniors. The objectives were to analyze the effects of services and facilities on satisfaction and behavioral intention (to revisit and recommend to others) and explore gender differences. This study was conducted onsite in 2014 and data were collected from seniors (> 60 years old). The study variables included travel behavior, visitation experiences, service and facility preferences, and socio-economic characteristics. Study results (N=186) showed 50% male and 50% female respondents, visitors came mostly with family or friends; stayed at the park less than 24 hours, and visited 1–2 times a year. The major purposes of their visits were hiking, sightseeing, and health. Results showed that visitors are mostly satisfied with their national park experience and significant predictors of satisfaction included: size of the parking lot, well-maintained trails, and convenient rest areas; intention to recommend the park to others and intention to revisit were predicted by trails. Gender differences were found on five variables: trail, hiking information center, visitor center, camping site, and shelter, with female satisfaction scores lower on each of these items. This research contributes to a better understanding of senior national park visitor preferences and provides needed information so park managers can improve services and facilities and meet the future needs for a growing and active population of seniors in Korea. Future research should examine a more representative sample of seniors at Korean national parks and assess the benefits of time spent in the natural environment.

Visitors’ behavior in national parks can be influenced by seasonal variations in climate and preferred activities. Seasonality can produce different space consumption patterns, and impact visitor experience and natural resource use. The purpose of this study was to explore the seasonal spatial patterns of visitors’ activities using a mobile exercise application within the context of Seoraksan National Park in South Korea. A dataset composed of 5142 starting and ending points of 2639 activities (hiking and walking) created by 1206 mobile exercise application users (January–December 2015) were collected from a leading mobile exercise application operator. GIS-based spatial analytical techniques were used to analyze the spatial patterns of activity points across seasons and days (weekdays/weekends). Results indicated considerable seasonal and daily variations in activity distribution and hot spots (i.e., locations of potential congestion or crowding). The findings enable park managers to mitigate negative impacts to natural resources as well as enhance visitors’ experiences. Also, it allows potential visitors to decide when to visit certain sites via mobile application to ensure optimal conditions. Furthermore, the GPS-based exercise mobile application can be used as a new methodological approach to understand spatio-temporal patterns of visitors’ behavior within national parks and other natural protected areas.

This study focused on establishing a framework for the designation of a conservation area reflecting an ecotope concept, and its application to Korea’s Seoraksan National Park. Taking into consideration the mountainous topography of the study area, the watershed was chosen as the planning unit, and ecotope mapping was carried out to identify topographic and biological features. For the evaluation of the state of recent use, the trail index and the distribution status of tour and management facilities were used. These features were processed using Marxan with Zones. As a result, the optimal solution of scenario 1 was selected as the final one following detailed verification of the area ratio and grouping of the Park Nature Conservation Area (zone A, 76.7%) and the Park Nature Environment Area (I) (zone B, 14.3%), the inclusion ratio of biotope grade I (95.2%) and the satisfied shortfall value of the conservation indicators. In the overlap analysis between the optimal solution and recent zonation, most of the features included in the suggested scenario were found to be correctly distributed according to the intensity of conservation. Furthermore, the northern parts of the watershed which include sub-alpine vegetation with the Baekdudaegan ridge as its ecological axis was newly separated into the Park Conservation Area. This verification confirmed the improvement of recent zonation through the concrete criteria of ecotope mapping.

In mountainous streams, transverse hydraulic structures disrupt longitudinal connectivity and simplify microhabitats, thereby negatively affecting aquatic ecosystems. Recently, the removal of such structures has been increasingly recognized as an important measure for aquatic ecosystem restoration. However, studies on how ecosystems recover after such removal, particularly in protected mountainous streams, remain limited. The present study aimed to evaluate the ecological effects of removing a small and dysfunctional weir on benthic macroinvertebrate communities, and to quantitatively assess the restoration effects on a mountain stream ecosystem in the Ganeungoraegol Valley, Seoraksan National Park, South Korea. The weir was removed in November 2021, and subsequent changes in benthic macroinvertebrate communities were monitored over 10 field surveys conducted from August 2021 to 2024. Survey sites included two impacted sites and two reference sites selected based on the expected ecological influence of the weir structure. In total, 85 taxa were identified. Although both species richness and individual density declined temporarily immediately after removal, gradual recovery was observed thereafter. Notably, the impacted sites exhibited marked improvements in species diversity, richness, and community stability, likely due to enhanced habitat heterogeneity and restored longitudinal connectivity. Community index analysis revealed a decrease in dominance index and increase in diversity and evenness indices, in- dicating progressive stabilization of the biological assemblages. The findings demonstrate that benthic macroinvertebrates are key bioindicators for assessing the outcomes of weir removal in mountainous streams. The results could facilitate ecological restoration efforts in protected areas such as national parks. Continuous monitoring and improvement of residual structures are recommended to support long-term ecological recovery. The present study offers a scientific basis for similar restoration projects in comparable ecosystems.

The purpose of this study is to add to our understanding of actual traveler interest in the tourism market by investigating the causal conditions of tourist destination attributes on tourist satisfaction. Prior to proceeding, natural tourist destinations that were recommended 5 times in a row in South Korea's top 100 must-see tourist destinations were chosen as the study's target. Seoraksan National Park, Hallasan National Park, Suncheonman Wetland (Suncheonman National Garden), Nami Island, and Udo are among them. For an analysis of the online reviews of these five well-known tourist destinations, topic modeling was used, and the latent dirichlet allocation (LDA) technique with TF-IDF weight was used to create a comprehensive list of the topics posted by Tripadvisor reviewers. Making scientific inferences about nature tourism phenomena, such as Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (FsQCA), to better predict and explain real-world nature tourism phenomena using a configurational approach, is becoming more popular. The purpose of this article is to identify the key contribution and knowledge structure of tourist destination selection attributes as well as their overall satisfaction research using complexity theory and FsQCA. The primary goal of this study is to investigate not only the influence of tourist destination selection attributes as a single variable in online reviews, but also how these selection attributes influence tourist satisfaction with various combinations of causal conditions. These findings are useful in understanding individual travelers' perceptions of tourist destinations as well as their overall satisfaction.