• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.9-26
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• 1999

The Ulleung Basin (Tsushima Basin) in the southwestern East Sea (Japan Sea) is floored by a crust whose affinity is not known whether oceanic or thinned continental. This ambiguity resulted in unconstrained mechanisms of basin evolution. The present work attempts to define the nature of the crust of the Ulleung Basin and its tectonic evolution using seismic wide-angle reflection and refraction data recorded on ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs). Although the thickness of (10 km) of the crust is greater than typical oceanic crust, tau-p analysis of OBS data and forward modeling by 2-D ray tracing suggest that it is oceanic in character: (1) the crust consists of laterally consistent upper and lower layers that are typical of oceanic layers 2 and 3 in seismic velocity and gradient distribution and (2) layer 2C, the transition between layer 2 and layer 3 in oceanic crust, is manifested by a continuous velocity increase from 5.7 to 6.3 km/s over the thickness interval of about 1 km between the upper and lower layers. Therefore it is not likely that the Ulleung Basin was formed by the crustal extension of the southwestern Japan Arc where crustal structure is typically continental. Instead, the thickness of the crust and its velocity structure suggest that the Ulleung Basin was formed by seafloor spreading in a region of hotter than normal mantle surrounding a distant mantle plume, not directly above the core of the plume. It seems that the mantle plume was located in northeast China. This suggestion is consistent with geochemical data that indicate the influence of a mantle plume on the production of volcanic rocks in and around the Ulleung Basin. Thus we propose that the opening models of the southwestern East Sea should incorporate seafloor spreading and the influence of a mantle plume rather than the extension of the crust of the Japan Arc.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.33-38
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• 2003

This study is conducted to examine the data of climate or environmental change in the northeastern Asia during the last glacial maximum. A remarkable feature of the 18,000 BP biome reconstructions for China is the mid-latitude extention of steppe and desert biomes to the modem eastern coast. Terrestrial deposits of glacial maximum age from the northern part of Yellow Sea suggest that this region of the continental shelf was occupied by desert and steppe vegetation. And the shift from temperate forest to steppe and desert implies conditions very much drier than present in eastern Asia. Dry conditions might be explained by a strong winter monsoon and/or a weak summer monsoon. A very strong depression of winter temperatures at LGM. has in the center of continent has influenced in northeast Asia similarly. The vegetation of Hokkaido at LGM was subarctic thin forest distributed on the northern area of middle Honshu and cool and temperate mixed forest at southern area of middle Honshu in Japan. The vegetation landscape of mountain- and East coast region of Korea was composed of herbaceous plants with sparse arctic or subarctic trees. The climate of yellow sea surface and west region of Korea was much drier and temperate steppe landscape was extended broadly. It is supposed that a temperate desert appeared on the west coast area of Pyeongan-Do and Cheolla-Do of Korea. The reconstruction of year-round conditions much colder than today right across China, Korea and Japan is consistent with biome reconstruction at the LGM.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Navigation and Port Research Conference
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• 2012.06a
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• pp.7-8
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• 2012

Using a questionnaire, this study examined the users' consciousness through the human five senses on the waterside space in the district of Minato Mirai 21, Yokohama located in the east of Kanagawa prefecture, which is well known for its waterfront in Japan. Among the users, the results of the questionnaire showed 52.2% of male, and 29.6% accounted for people in their twenties as the dominant groups. Out of the nineteen questions regarding the consciousness on the waterside space, 'feel the sea breeze' accounted for 237(78.7%) while 'the sea is visible' accounted for 217(72.1%). Then, the contents of the nineteen questions were re-classified into such seven items as the human five senses(sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell), activities, and the existence of facilities, discovering the consciousness of the users. The results demonstrated that touch(22.9%) and sight(20.8%) respectively were the most influential items.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.507-518
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• 1993

Paleomagnetic investigations have been carried out on the Tertiary sedimentary formations (Yeonil Group) in Pohang basin, southeastern Korea. A total of 215 samples were collected from 26 sites. Progressive thermal demagnetization indicates that many samples have unstable magnetization and do not reveal a characteristic direction. However, some samples from the lower and upper Duho Formation show a characteristic direction $D/I=7.8^{\circ}/48.3^{\circ}$ (${\alpha}_{95}=3.7^{\circ}$, k=174.1). Stepwise thermal demagnetization data show that some samples from the Hagjeon and middle Duho Formations reveal great-circle distributions moving from the present to a reversed direction of geomagnetic field. The mean of intersection points of the great-circles is nearly antipodal to the characteristic normal direction of the lower and upper Duho Formation. We infer that the Hagjeon Formation was formed during the reversed polarity chron C5B (16.2~14.7 Ma) and the Duho Formation 14.7~11.6 Ma based on our results and previous paleontologic and age dating data. Paleomagnetic direction for the Middle Miocene of Korea, analysed from the combined results of stable endpoints and great circles, is $D/I=8.7^{\circ}/53.9^{\circ}$ (${\alpha}_{95}=4.2^{\circ}$, k=74.8), and the corresponding paleopole is Lat./Long.=$82.7^{\circ}/230.2^{\circ}$ (${\delta}p=2.8^{\circ}$, ${\delta}m=5.9^{\circ}$). On the basis of this, we interpret that the opening of the East sea (Japan sea) or the synchronous clockwise rotation of the Southwest Japan exerted no structural influence on the Yeonil Group in the Middle Miocene.

• Strategy21
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• s.40
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• pp.82-114
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• 2016

The purpose of this article is to analyze the progress of North Korea's SLBM threat, and to assess the technological capacity and threat level of its SLBMs. Currently, North Korea has approximately 1000 ballistic missiles, such as the SCUD, Musudan, and Nodong, in stock. This article pays close attention to the background and strategical implication behind North Korea's obsession with developing SLBMs despite possessing sufficient means to launch provocations with its current arsenal of ground based ballistic missiles and conventional weapons. Based on the abovementioned analysis, this article will recommend possible response directions for the ROK Armed Forces to North Korea's SLBM threat. It is highly difficult to detect SLBMs due to its stealthy nature, as it is launched underwater after covert infiltration. North Korea's SLBM is considered a game changer in that even one SLBM can significantly change the strategic balance of North East Asia. North Korea's SLBM test launch in August has made a 500km flight, landing 80km inside the JADIZ (Japan Air Defense Identification Zone), and as such, it is assessed that North Korea already possesses underwater ejection and cold launch capabilities. The most realistic response to North Korea's imminent SLBM threat is bolstering anti-submarine capabilities. ROK Armed Forces need to upgrade its underwater kill-chain by modernizing and introducing new airborne anti-submarine assets and nuclear-powered submarines, among many options. Moreover, we should integrate SM-3 missiles with the Aegis Combat system that possess strong detection capabilities and flexibility, thereby establishing a sea-based Ballistic Missle Defense (BMD) system centered around the Aegis Combat System, as sea-based ballistic missile threats are best countered out in the seas. Finally, the capabilities gap that could arise as a result of budgetary concerns and timing of fielding new assets should be filled by establishing firm ROK-US-Japan combined defense posture.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.152-157
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• 2011

Lg amplitude decrease $Q^{-1}$ becomes very important when harzadous earthquakes occurred in neighbor nations such as Japan and China because the Lg phase is the largest seismic phase in Korea. The values of Lg $Q^{-1}$ are correlated with seismic activities from the RTSM for IRIS data with long pair distance of stations and events. The Japanese paths crossing the East Sea (Sea of Japan) show high $Q^{-1}$ values related with seismicity and oceanic crust. The paths of Shanghai having the moderate seismicity show the second highest values followed by the Japanese region, while the paths between Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula exhibit low values associated with the low seismicity of the regions.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.141-160
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• 2001

The challenge of predicting the Japanese coastal ocean motivated Frontier Observational Research System for Global Change (FORSGC) and the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC) to start a multiyear observational programme in the upstream Kuroshio in November 2000. This field effort, the Kuroshio Observation Program (KOP), should enable us to determine the barotropic and baroclinic components of the western boundary current system, thus, to better understand interactions of the currents with mesoscale eddies, the Kuroshio instabilities, and path bimodality. We, then, will be able to improve modeling predictability of the mesoscale, seasonal, and inter-annual processes in the midstream Kuroshio near the Japanese main islands by using this knowledge. The KOP is focused on an enhanced regional coverage of the sea surface height variability and the baroclinic structure of the mainstream Kuroshio in the East China Sea, the Ryukyu Current east of the Ryukyu's, and the Kuroshio recirculation. An attractive approach of the KOP is a development of a new data acquisition system via acoustic telemetry of the observational data. The monitoring system will provide observations for assimilation into extensive numerical models of the ocean circulation, targeting the real-time monitoring of the Japanese coastal waters.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.169-175
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• 2017

In the northwestern Pacific region, the pen shell (Atrina pectinata) is a widely distributed bivalve and economically important in fisheries. Recently, stock of this species has been greatly reduced due to overexploitation and marine pollution, which arouses interest in conservation. Studies on genetic and taxonomic entities of pen shells have not been tried in Korea, which makes difficult to take measures for effective conservation of this marine resource. In this study, we investigated mitochondrial genetic polymorphism of pen shells collected from 4 locations in Korea and Japan using cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene sequences. A total of 39 haplotypes were identified among 86 individuals of pen shell. Although only 5 haplotypes were shared, no significant genetic differentiation was observed between Korean and Japanese populations. These results suggest that pen shell populations of these regions share an ancestral population which might have experienced expansion during the Pleistocene, but gene flow must have been highly restricted after expansion.

• Hwankyungkyoyuk
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.112-137
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• 1993

As the concern with the creation of environmental problems and regulations about them becomes internationally growing, environmental cooperations with countries concerned are emerging as the first item on the political agenda. In case of South Korea, cooperations with countries in the Asian region is needed urgently. In particular, cooperations with North Korea will be an important factor to reunify the Korean peninsula as well as to solve environmental problems in South Korea. Accordingly, it is necessary to seek feasible alternatives and possibilities of coping with international environment in South and North Korea. This study is limited to literature study based on collecting materials and the testimony of former residents in North Korea. The period of study ranges from May to December in 1992. The research findings show the following environmental problems and alternatives : It is recognized in South Korea that the creation of environmental problems is product of economic development. Currently, the Korean government makes an effort to revise environmental administration and law, to encourage environmental education, and to proceed with environmental technology policies by establishing environmental policies together with economic development plans. North Korea ascribes the cause of environmental problems to colonial exploitation by Japan and the U.S. Environmental pollutants in North Korea is relatively less than South Korea, provisions such as environmental conservation movement, environmental education, and environmental administration and law are not well organized in the country. However, North korea will speed up its economic development to solve economic crises. Therefore, it is expected that industrial wastes, corrosion of nature, and water pollution will result in serious environmental problems. The fields expected to cooperate with South and North Korea are in the following : South Korea may adopt the model of the former East and West Germany and proceed to cooperate with North Korea in public sector as well as private sector. The possible programs are such as academic exchange to conserve environment, joint research in the area of the Demilitarized Zone, conservation of ecosystems around Imjin and Pukhan Rivers, South Korea's support of advanced environmental technology and industrial and financial aid to North Korea. Conflicts between countries concerned in the North East Asian region will be caused by the responsibilities of pollutions because of the seashore development of the Yellow Sea by South Korea and increasing seashore industrial complexes around the Yellow Sea in China, Therefore, it is desirable that the two countries will participate in organizations related to environment. Joint projects between South and North Korea will be as follows : 1. Construction of long-range monitoring system : 2. Investigation of the state of pollutions around the Yellow Sea and alternatives : 3. Construction of joint monitoring system to regulate the movement of pollutants : 4. Cooperation of environmental technology and exchange of information ; and 5. Support of Cooperation of environment in private sector. Efforts to cooperate with North korea is expected to overcome differences between the two countries as well as to encourage unification of the korean peninsula, which will lead to reducing the cost of environmental recovery. These efforts will also contribute to the maintenance for peace and stability on the korean peninsula as well as in the North East Asian region.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.885-905
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• 2020

This study described the characteristics of the upstream migration of salmon (Chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta) along Yeon-gok Stream in the eastern coastal region of Korea from October 24 to November 9, 2018 using radio tag and data storage tag loggers for the detection of the locations of tagged salmon and measurement of water temperature. Tracking experiments were conducted and classified into four types (case 1 to case 4) depending on the release time and the number of salmon tracked. Experiments from case 1 to case 3 were classified depending on the number of salmon tracked into cases in which a single tagged salmon was tracked (case 1), a pair of tagged salmon was tracked (case 2), and salmon were tracked by different sex ratios (case 3). Experiments from cases 1 to 3 were conducted between 10 AM and 1 PM, and case 4 was conducted after 3:30 PM. Salmon moved and spawned in the downstream region of the Yeon-gok, where water temperature is higher than in other rivers and salmon return in Canada, Russia, Japan, and the U.S.A. Most of the radio-tagged salmon swam in deep and shaded areas during the day but actively moved upstream close to sunset, regardless of the release time. Females showed relatively more active movements than males during upstream migration.