Assessment of Performance Related to Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) for Countries Around the Korean Peninsula

Abstract

Yoon, I.J., 2021. Assessment of performance related to Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) for countries around the Korean peninsula. In: Lee, J.L.; Suh, K.-S.; Lee, B.; Shin, S., and Lee, J. (eds.), Crisis and Integrated Management for Coastal and Marine Safety. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 114, pp. 335–339. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This study reviews the Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) performances of coastal nations around the Korean Peninsula. Based on the four indicators provided by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), this study analyzes the current status and trends of SDG 14 performances of the Republic of Korea (ROK), Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), China, Japan, and Russia. The analysis is conducted using dimensional and developmental approaches. The Yellow Sea, surrounded by ROK, DPRK, and China, is facing challenges with regard to water pollution, while the East Sea surrounded by ROK, DPRK, Japan, and Russia is facing overexploitation of fish and water pollution. Development-wise, countries in this group that belong to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), namely ROK and Japan, tend to have higher values for positive indicators and lower values for negative indicators. DPRK shows no achievement with respect to any indicator, while the others have progressed with respect to at least one indicator, which indicates the necessity for more regional cooperation. The significance of this study is that assessment of SDG 14 performances of coastal nations around the Korean peninsula was carried out for the first time at both the individual and regional levels, and the related characteristics of each nation and necessity of collective efforts were drawn out.