• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.159-169
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• 2006

Interpretive sign is a communication medium that is often used in self-guided interpretation. Understanding interpretive signs and their users is important to maximize the effectiveness of interpretation. This study evaluated design attributes of interpretive signs by visitor's personal characteristics and visiting patterns using Importance-Performance Analysis(IPA). Data were collected from August to September of 2003 at the self-guided trail in Naejangsan National Park, Korea. Visitors using the trail participated in a questionnaire survey, and a total of 276 subiects was used for data analysis. The IPA results showed that female(23.3%) than male(13.3%), low age group(43.3%) than middle(0.0%) and high age group(0.0%), higher education group(36.7%) than lower education group(0.0%), medium size group(33.3%) than large(10.0%) or small group(16.7%), 'with child' group(66.7%) than 'without child' group(20.0%) rated higher importance and lower performance on more design attributes of the interpretive signs. These groups also showed higher rate of 'Concentrate Here(CH)' attributes that require urgent improvement. The 'with child' group showed the especially high rate of 'CH' attributes. The results suggest that interpretive signs need to be designed considering diverse user groups. It is also necessary to develop some standardized items of the sign design attributes for more efficient and reliable implementation of IPA and other evaluative works.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.99 no.4
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• pp.508-516
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• 2010

Hallasan National Park is facing dramatic increase of visitors since no entrance fee charge effected in January of 2007 and it has created a concern about appropriate use levels. The overall objective of this study is development of the carrying capacity indicators management program using indicator and standard based on visitor experience and resource protection (VERP) model. The result of delphi survey identified eight potential indicators of resource and experiential conditions, including quality of valley water, visitor counts, trail impacts, crowding etc. Also, Data were also gathered to help provide an empirical foundation for setting standards for these indicator variables. The carrying capacity indicators management program based on VERP model estimates sustainability of national park and analyze scientifically change about resources and visitor's behavior. Also, it systematically manage and use united data, it supports operation accomplishment respected rational decision.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.223-234
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• 2007

The study, executed with Hallasan National Park, which deserves to be a typical ecotourism destination, aims to provide basic information on park management for early establishment of ecotourism in a national park by assessing its visitors' behavior and satisfaction with a nature trail established as a series of an environmental interpretation program. The questionnaire survey was conducted at Eorimok Square in the weekday and on the weekend for two months of August and September in 2006, and finally 144 valid samples were used for the analysis. As a result of the research, it revealed that the demographic characteristics of the visitors to Hallasan National Park tended to coincide with those of the visitors to other national parks In Korea. On the whole, it showed their low recognition level of nature trails built up in national parks and less experience in using them. However, the visitors' satisfaction level and intention of re-visit, and recommendation to others were comparatively higher after actually using the nature trail at the site of Hallasan National Park, which hints at the possibility of national parks' much weightier role as the ground for ecology education and the functional expansion of the environmental interpretation-related facilities and programs. As for the attributes having effects on users' satisfaction with a nature trail, substantial aspects such as accessibility, safety, uniqueness and interest in environmental interpretation, and educational quality as well as physical facility management were revealed to have equal effects on users' satisfaction level, so there still remain a lot of pending issues over the reality of national parks in the initial stage of ecotourism staying at the level of the introduction and establishment of the facilities for environmental interpretation. This research had surveyed visitors to Hallasan National Park and limited to the nature trail only. For more systematic and practical ecological management of a national park, the in-depth understanding of the attributes affecting satisfaction of ecotourists, including nature trails and other environmental interpretation programs, and more sophisticated measuring tools are needed.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.200-208
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• 2013

The purposes of this study are developing a stress index for each individual major trail in the national parks and contribute to establishing a park management policy based on scientific analyses using the index. We collected data from 144 sections of trails in national parks, conducted the Delphi survey and factor analysis, and generated the stress index by standardizing scores of factors contributing to the stress for each trail. As aresult, total eight factors contributing to the stress were considered and four of them, i.e. the amount of visits, the effect of visits, the degree of trail destruction, and species diversity, were selected to generate the stress index. How to weigh factors was determined by their importance obtained in the second Delphi survey and the average from a 5 point Likert scale. Then, the cumulative probabilities from the standardized scores were graded into five groups. In conclusion, there were twenty trails from the six national parks including Jirisan, Bukhansan, Deogyusan, Naejangsan, Seoraksan in the first grade which gained over 80 as the stress index.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.100-110
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• 2008

The purposes of the study were to analyze the effects of determinants and persuasive messages on the willingness-to-pay cultural & heritage assets' admission fees. Recently visitors have responded to a nationwide boycott of the fees within national parks due to feelings of disapproval and resentment. Data were collected through onsite surveys of 302 visitors in the Mt. Gyeryong National Park. Regression analysis and two-way ANOVA were employed to obtain the results. The results indicate that credit card payment was the most prominent predictor of willingness-to-pay at the .05 level. The second highest coefficient was obtained in the condition levying of admission fees and parking fees at the same time, providing temple interpretive services, followed by free days for everyone on special days each month. In addition, the most persuasive message was the descriptive content, which stated that fees were profoundly committed to the protection of the cultural heritage for future generations. As a result, it is effective to continually persuade visitors to use posters or reminders that stress the preservation of cultural assets at the entrance gate.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.779-788
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• 2014

This study, as a case where the environmental conflict and dispute arose between the use and the conservation as in the other protected areas in Korea, took the first step to build ecological citizenship to solve various and complicated issues in a fundamental level by providing a basic information on differentiated environmental perceptions of the locality and the visitors of Seoraksan National Park. The questionnaire survey was employed on September 6th and 7th with 150 residents of the park area and 200 visitors of Osaek-Daechungbong trail. Total number of 13 survey questions was introduced using Dunlap and Liere's NEP index. The result shows that the perception of 'balance of nature' was more dominant to the perception of 'humans over nature' and the perception to the 'limits to growth' was also somewhat positive in both groups. The differences in environmental perceptions between the groups exist; the visitor group tended to have more positive level of acceptance of NEP views. Such differences in perceptions suggest that a different normative approach should be taken to the residents of the national park with less pro-environment in their perceptions when policy making. It thus seemed possible that ecological citizenship could be realized since the younger and the higher education level are, the more pro-environment. The findings of the research may cause some concerns however, because the study has been confined as a case study with basic understanding of environmental perceptions and its differences between the interest groups. More extensive research is required to confirm if this is generalized.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.614-620
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to provide basic data for developing the practical park management. For this, satisfaction degree, satisfaction factors and estimated model by satisfaction variables of visitors analyzed through a questionnaire survey in Naejangsan National Park, Korea. In the evaluation of the satisfaction, variables of 'Lack of public facility'. 'Lack of use program', 'Lack of facility to stay' 'Charge of user fee, parking fee' and 'Exorbitant pay' at Naejangsan park office and 'Charge of user fee, parking fee', 'Lack of use program' and 'Lack of facility to stay' at Baekam park office was more unsatisfied than any other variable. Satisfaction factors by Factor Analysis were loaded with 'Facility management' at Naejangsan park office(34.3%) and 'user management' at Baekam park office(45.6%) by the highest contribution degree. In estimated model of satisfaction by Multiple Regression Analysis showed in order of 'damage of trail', 'Lack of commercial facility', and 'Littering problem' at Naejangsan park office and 'damage of cultural and historic resource', 'Lack of commercial facility', 'Touting' at Baekam park office. So, Naejangsan National Park needed intensive management policy and institutional apparatus for facility management and user education.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.148-158
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• 2011

This study examines visitors' image and behavior characteristics of Wolseong palace in Gyeongju. This area has been a royal palace during Silla periods. So many scholars dedicate to the protection of this historical-cultural heritage. The research process consists of two main steps, such as on-site field investigation and survey research. The data were collected in summer and autumn. Collected data is classified into three groups to describe visitors' behavior, time, space, and then processed by statistical methods. The results are as follows: First, there is a shortage of programs and facilities. The result shows most visitors consider Wolseong palace as a pathway for walking. Hence better functions should be developed to attract more visitors but with least effect to historical remains. The founding is that increasing programs for history exploration, enhancing lighting installation, facilities, plant arrangement, road condition and so forth would be suggested.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2012

As the tourists of ecotourism are increasing, the supply for detailed information on tourist attraction is also significantly increasing. As a result of survey given to tourists, it showed that they are more interested in natural ecological resources rather than history or culture among resources of ecotourism and pointed out that more information on the region needs to be supplemented. In order to provide accurate, detailed and standardized information to tourists, ecotourism resources were categorized as experience type from the position of consumer and ecological resource type. And the category of experience is again divided into 4 types - nature, education, communication and adventure. Moreover, after developing the web-based homepage for it, the research proposed the cases of Tae-an area and Ulleungdo Island. If the problems from test operation are supplemented, it is expected to suggest the standard of mobile based digital storytelling technology in the field of ecotourism.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.3
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• pp.297-304
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• 2009

Bukhansan National Park is facing dramatic increase of visitors since no entrance fee charge effected in January of 2007. This study was carried out to estimate socio-psychological carrying capacity of Bukhansan National Park based on marginal utility theory model, provide management tactics by stages. 512 visitors to Bukhansan National Park were surveyed during the October of 2008. The data analysis indicated that sociopsychological carrying capacity was estimated as approximately 65,000 people per day for Bukhansan National Park.