• Toxicological Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.253-259
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• 2010

We are consistently being exposed to nanomaterials in direct and/or indirect route as they are used in almost all the sectors in our life. Nations across the worlds are now trying to put global regulation policy on nanomaterials. Sometimes, they are reported to be more toxic than the corresponding ion and micromaterials. Therefore, safety research of nanoparticles has huge implications on a national economics. In this study, we evaluated and analyzed the research trend of ecotoxicity of nanoparticles in soil environment. Test species include terrestrial plants, earthworms, and soil nematode. Soil enzyme activities were also discussed. We found that the results of nanotoxicity studies were affected by many factors such as physicochemical properties, size, dispersion method and test medium of nanoparticle, which should be considered when conducting toxicity researches. In particular, more researches on the effect of physicochemical properties and fate of nanoparticles on toxicity effect should be conducted consistently.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.1-11
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• 2003

The objectives of this paper are to overview present status of soil pollution in Korea, to review the current policies and management strategies for soil pollution prevention and remediation of contaminated sites, and to suggest some recommendations to be considered toward more efficient policies. Soils in Korea are contaminated mainly by industrial facilities, landfills, underground storage tanks, abandoned/inactive mines, military camps, and other sources. Concentrations of most of soil pollutants were similar to the background levels, except for a few heavily contaminated sites such as industrial sites or abandoned/inactive mines. The Soil Environment Conservation Act (SECA), which was effective from 1995, provides a comprehensive legal framework for both preventing soil pollution and remedying contaminated sites in Korea. The Act includes various management policies such as the designation of standards and soil pollution policy area, soil monitoring networks, management of suspected contamination sources, and extended 'polluter-pays' principle. To make current policies more efficient and reasonable, some policies or strategies such as the establishment of national priority list, more detailed standards, risk-based cleanup goal, fund raise, soil erosion problem, and finally, integrity between soil and groundwater management frameworks may need to be pursued in the long term.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.101-111
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• 2011

The Returning Land for Farming to Forestry Project in China is similar to the 'The 10-year National Greening Project' of Korea, and is one of the great strategic policies that started in order to develop the people, resources and the environment by the central government of China. Using the ecosystem recovery as the slogan, The Returning Land for Farming to Forestry Project of China has a long history of 70 years, but the accomplishments has been insignificant when compared to the long history. The Returning Land for Farming to Forestry Project was not a trend due to the societal and economical issues of China, but with the increasing interest on the environmental protection in the late 1990s the extent of the ecosystem is gradually increasing. The most difficult, yet most important matter of the Returning Land for Farming to Forestry Project, is that it must consider the ecosystem with the economy. The farmers want financial gains in a short term, and the government aims is gaining cost-benefit over a long period which is why a rational the Returning Land for Farming to Forestry Project of the central government in China is most important. In order for the Returning Land for Farming to Forestry Project of China to develop further in the future, the standardization and distinction of the economic compensation policy is most urgent. Other than this, a new policy and the government interest on the livelihood of the farmers after the completion of the Returning Land for Farming to Forestry Project are needed, and there must be a clear and fair policy enactment environment so that the opinions of the farmers can influence the policy in the policy enactments.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.93-111
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• 2005

Defining soil quality in scopes and applications is one of the prerequisite for the sustainable management of soil environment to orient researches, strategies and policies. However, definition of soil quality is controversial depending upon a viewpoint of soil science or soil environment. Soil quality can be, irrespective of the disciplines, defined as the capacity of a soil to function within ecosystem boundaries to sustain biological productivity, maintain environmental quality and promote plant and animal health. Common to all of the soil quality concepts can be summarized as the capacity of soil to function effectively at present and in the future. The OECD includes soil quality as one of the agri-environment indicators. This article intends to i) summarize the current soil quality research, and ii) provide information on protocol of soil quality assessment. A framework for soil quality was divided into three steps: indicator selection as minimum data set (MDS), scoring of the selected indicators, and integration of scores into soil quality index. Korean government suggested possible physical and chemical indicators such as bulk density and organic matter for paddy and upland soils to OECD. The framework of soil quality assessment is not yet implemented in Korea. Countries such as USA, Canada and New Zealand have constructed the framework on soil quality assessment and developed a user-friendly version of soil quality assessment tools to evaluate the integrated effects of various soil management practices. The protocol provided in this review might help policymakers, scientists, and administrators improve awareness about soil quality and understand the way of soil environment management.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.127-145
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• 1998

Unlike water or air quality standards that have been established by legislation using potential human health impact as the primary criterion, soil quality depends on the soils primary function and its relevant environmental factors, which is much more site- and soil specific. A properly characterized soil quality assessment system should serve as an indicator of the soil capacity to produce safe and nutritious food, to enhance human and animal health, and to overcome degrative processes. For our proposed example, a high quality soil with regard to maintaining an adequate soil productivity as a food production resources must accommodate soil and water properties, food chain, sustainability and utilization, environment, and profitability, that (i) facilitate water transfer and absorption, (ii) sustain plant growth, (iii) resist physical degradation of soil, (iv) produce a safe food resources, (v) cost-effective agricultural management. Possible soil quality indicators are identified at several levels within the framework for each of these functions. Each indicator is assigned a priority or weight that reflects its relative importance using a multi-objective approach based on principles of systems to be considered. To do this, individual scoring system is differentiated by the several levels from low to very high category or point scoring ranging from 0 to 10, And then weights are multiplied and products are summed to provide an overall soil quality rating based on several physical and chemical indicators. Tlne framework and procedure in developing the soil quality assessment are determined by using information collected from an alternative and conventional farm practices in the regions. The use of an expanded framework for assessing effects of other processes, management practices, or policy issues on soil quality is also considered. To develop one possible form for a soil quality index, we should permit coupling the soil characteristics with assessment system based on soil properties and incoming and resident chemicals. The purpose of this paper is to discuss approaches to defining and assessing soil quality and to suggest the factors to be considered.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.52-63
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• 2005

Korea has recently implemented two m메or policies on organic wastes, including food wastes. One is the Volume-Based waste Fee System (VBWFS). which went effect nationwide in January 1995, and the other is a ban on the landfill of organic wastes, such as food wastes. organic sludge, and animal manure, in accordance with the Waste Management Act. These two policies have brought about remarkable positive effects, including the reduction of organic wastes at source, and the development of technology for recycling food wastes into feed and compost. However, they have caused obstacles to carry out the policy on food wastes, in areas of legal and technological infrastructures for recycling. Therefore, this study intends to find problems of policies for recycling food wastes, and to suggest ways to resolve them.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.661-667
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• 2005

It was preliminarily considered that Jangdo wetland was a concave landform formed by the weathering of granite intruding Precambrian silicified metasedimentary rocks. Various granite-weathered topography was observed. The formation scenario of Jangdo wetland is as follows. By flood or slope mass movement of regolith, rock fragments were moved to form a low-relief slope landform. As a result, wetland was formed. By analyzing the slope soil and wetland sediment, we conjectured that Jangdo wetland depended on the influence of peripheral slope soil. In these concavelandform environment, the supply of water and organic materials was sustained for a long time to form a organicnondegradable wetland environment. In addition, the plants appropriate to this wetland environment were settled to thicken the wetland. This is how the present Jangdo wetland was thought to be formed.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.104-111
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• 2017

As carcass disposal is increasing widely in Republic of Korea, there is a need to comprehensively analyze the impacts and subsequent damages of carcass disposal. Especially, since environmental policy aims to not only reduce environmental damages, but also enhance overall sustainability, we apply the concept of environmental welfare to assess the comprehensive impact of carcass disposal, especially focusing on the rural area. In specific, assessment criteria were suggested based on the four categories related to environmental welfare, which were 'environmental quality', 'level of environmental service', 'environmental safety', and 'participation, openness to public, and communication'. The results showed negative impacts of carcass disposal in environmental, social and economical elements. Overall decrease in environmental quality negatively impacts the other elements of environmental welfare. Furthermore, there were discrepancies of level of impacts and damages among stakeholder. In the end, we suggest critical elements that need to be applied in relevant policies and regulation to promote effective carcass disposal management.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.50-56
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• 2010

Oil contamination soil has been one of the most environmental social issues for decades in the inside and outside of country. The law of soil environmental preservation was carried out in the 1990s and the government controlled not only soil environment management and the remediation of contaminated soil but also promoted the development of remedial technology and cleanup business of contaminated soil by national policy. In addition to agriculture areas, the main oil contaminated sites are a gas station, oil reservoir, petro-chemical complex, site of railway carriage base and military camp. The contamination-frequency of agriculture area and effect sites are low but it has significantly important area on account of producing food for human beings. Therefore, we should be concerned about oil contamination damage of agriculture area. The oil contamination damage of agriculture area influenced drop of birth and breeding since the oil directly adheres to seeds and farm products even diffusion of contaminated soil to cultivation area. The studies of the crops and the food vegetation has not enough detailed data caused by the incident of oil contamination. This study investigated the effect of oil in germination and growth of selected plant seeds. In this study, we try to verify whether the oil contamination by accidents on farmland influenced the damage of farm produce and the mutual relation both oil contaminated soil or the vegetation of crops. The impact of oil on plant development was followed by phytotoxicity assessments. The plants exhibited visual symptoms of stress, growth reduction and perturbations in developmental parameters. The increase of the degree of pollution induced more marked effects in plants, likely because of the physical effects of oil. The relationships between the phytotoxicity contents of plants and growth reduction suggest a chemical toxicity of fuel oil. In addition, while cleaned up the contaminated soil under the standard of contaminated soil we examined it was suitable for region standard and it may have practical possibility for fill material of construction of afforestation and molding soil of landfill.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.318-318
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• 2017

This study was conducted to find optimum mixed sowing ratio of green manure crops to reduce the use of chemical fertilizer as well as to increase the crop yield potential which will foster the utilization of green manure crops in the upland field in view of environment friendly agriculture. According to the study, the mixed ratio, 50:50, of hairy vetch and green barley showed highest nitrogen production yield in the soil due to the relatively higher organic nitrogen supply from the hairy vetch plant as well as nitrogen fixation from the air rather than other mixed ratio. In the 50:50 mixed ratio of hairy vetch and green barely total nitrogen amount in the soil showed 17.2kg per 10a, but in the other treatment ratio such as 75:25, 25:75. total nitrogen fixation amount were 16.7, 16.9 respectively. We also conducted the experiment to compare the effect of the mixed sowing treatment of green manure crops on the production of corn cultivated as a succeeding plant of hairy vetch. According to the result, the mixed ratio, 50:50, of hairy vetch and green barley treatment showed highest yield potential of corn as 153kg per 10a in seed weight which is due to the relatively higher organic nitrogen supply from the hairy vetch plant as well as nitrogen fixation from the air rather than other mixed ratio. In the mixed sowing treatment of hairy vetch 100 and barley 0 ratio, the corn production showed 148kg per 10a which is 5kg lower than that of hairy vetch 50 and barley 50 ratio, but showed statistically no difference between those two treatment. Otherwise, different treatments, such as hairy vetch 75 and barley 25, 25 and 75, 0 and 100 showed statistically different each other. Therefore, it was concluded that green manure crops, such as hairy vetch, green barley and rye were very effective crops to increase the soil fertility and gave the positive effect to the crops to give vegetative and propagative growth condition and, in turn, increased the yield potential. We have to make policy to enhance the utility of green manure crops in the upland crops as well as faddy field for the soil fertility and crop yield production which will guarantee prominent quality of environment friendly agriculture products.