남한의 산림복구 경험을 통한 북한 황폐산림복구지원 방향

Abstract

North Korea has fully utilized its forest as a main source in establishing its independent economy. The worse the economic depression of North Korea was, the more dependent its citizens are on the forest. Suffering the collapse of socialism in the 1990s and several natural disasters for the following years, the pace of its forest degradation has been accelerated in turn. North Koreans individually began to cultivate the mountains without consideration to support themselves - making the most of it from wood to forest products. It was also the mountains that the North Korean government chose to exploit. The forest resources, such as timbers, forest products and so on, were the major source of earning foreign currency for the government. That led North Korea to request help of the global society in making and implementing a plan to recover the forest. Private Organizations in South Korea realized the seriousness and started projects to stop the forest degradation in North Korea. South Korea has similar experience of carrying out the rehabilitation plan in 1970s. The plan proved relatively successful in such a short period thanks to many factors: the accurate understanding of the causes, making appropriate policies and the strong will and drive of the government. Therefore, the success or failure of restoring North Korea's forest also depends on the competence of South Korea - from grasping the cause to making and implementing practical policies suitable for North Korea.