(1) Reasons for Proposal

Since its enactment in 1980, the Natural Parks Act has been continuously amended to address residential inconveniences and improve park management. However, their status as a national conservation area and the management principles thereof have been insuffient to give a future direction in conserving and managing natural parks for sustainable use and to actively respond to internal and external environmental changes such as an increasing public demand for natural parks that promote a healthy lifestyle in a pleasant natural environment.

Therefore, this Amendment aims to declare the basic principles of natural park management; overhaul the previous park plans and special-purpose district system to manage parks in accordance with management entities and the status of national parks, provincial parks, metropolitan parks, county parks, district parks, and city parks, etc.; conduct investigations into natural parks on the status of their natural ecosystem, landscape, and natural/cultural resources, etc. while reflecting the results thereof in formulating a basic park plan, thereby ensuring systematic natural park management; and introduce regulations on ecosystem conservation, restoration projects, investigation/research, and education/public relations, etc., thereby allowing sustainable use based on conservation.

In addition, this Amendment Decree aims to close legal loopholes that have arisen in the course of operating the current system by designating near-park areas as park conservation areas to allow them to support ecosystem/landscape conservation projects; deleting geoparks, whose nature and conservation/management system is different from other natural parks, from the current Act to rather be governed by the Natural Environment Conservation Act, etc.

(2) Major Provisions

A. Classify structures based on the natural park management entity and subdivide the relevant provisions in the Act

Modify the natural park system such that i) the current structure of the Act, which does not distinguish between national/provincial/county parks, shall be divided into separate Chapters depending on the park designation/management entity, and ii) geoparks shall be deleted from the types of natural parks, etc. while, at the same time, the Act shall be sub-divided such that the number of major provisions shall increase from 86 to 109.

B. Establish a systematic and predictable structure of the Act

Modify the current structure of the Act in such a way that Sections shall be sub-divided into park designation, park conservation/management planning, special-purpose districts, restrictions on certain acts for conservation, park projects for sustainable use, etc., to ensure logical completeness and promote easy understanding of the public

C. Improve the purpose provision of the Act and introduce basic management principles (Articles 1 and 2)
Stipulate the rights of future generations in the purpose of the Act and introduce the basic principles, thereby clarifying the management philosophy of natural parks.

D. Strengthen the connection between natural park investigations and park planning (Article 8)
Clearly prescribe the details of natural park investigations and reflect the results thereof in park planning and park conservation/management planning to promote systematic conservation and management of natural parks.

E. Formulate and amend the Basic Natural Park Planning (Article 9)
Change the current basic park planning, which is formulated and enforced every ten (10) years regarding natural parks nationwide, to basic natural park planning and improve its contents to cover long-term prospects, policy goals and strategies, etc.; and prescribe that it may be amended every five (5) years to take into consideration changes in surrounding conditions, thereby reflecting reality.

F. Formulate a conservation/management planning of national parks and evaluate management effectiveness (Articles 20 – 25)
Formulate the current planning system, which was formulated and managed through park planning and conservation/management planning for each park, and determine the same through integrated park conservation/management planning to secure effectiveness in park management; supplement matters regarding planning formulation standards and procedures, etc.; and prescribe that the management effectiveness evaluation results shall be reflected in park conservation/management planning amendments every five (5) years, thereby leading plan formulation to implementation, and at the same time, ensuring that long-term plans correspond to reality, with the aim of accomplishing systematic park management.

G. Increase the number of special-purpose districts from the current four (4) to five (5), and specify acts that may be conducted with permission in each special-purpose district (Articles 26 – 31)
(1) Designate primitive natural areas with a natural ecosystem0and geographical/topographical characteristics that have not been artificially disturbed, areas with an ecosystem of national or international excellence, and areas with very high academic/scientific conservation value as special park conservation districts, and for such districts, only restricted activities for academic research or for public benefit shall be permitted (Article 27).
(2) Designate i) areas with especially abundant biological diversity, ii) areas with wildlife that have a high value for protection, and iii) areas with especially beautiful landscape as park nature conservation districts; and prescribe the codes of conduct thereof (Article 28).
(3) Designate as park natural environment districts areas where their natural ecosystem, landscape, etc., need to be conserved as a buffer area for the conservation of special park conservation districts or park nature conservation districts; and prescribe the codes of conduct thereof (Article 29).
(4) Designate as park village districts areas where a village has been formed necessary for maintaining the livelihoods of residents; and prescribe the codes of conduct thereof (Article 30).
(5) Designate as park cultural heritage districts areas necessary for protecting the designated cultural heritage and its protective facilities under Article 2 (2) of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act and traditional temples under Article 2 (1) of the Korean Traditional Temples Preservation and Support Act; and prescribe the codes of conduct thereof (Article 31).

H. Park projects for conservation and sustainable use (Articles 41 – 54)
Prescribe general matters regarding implementation of national park projects; provide a legal basis for ecosystem protection/restoration projects; and prescribe matters regarding field projects, investigation/research, education/public relations, field guidance, volunteer activities, and resident assistance projects, etc., to promote sustainable use.

I. Designate city/provincial parks and city/county/district parks and restrict activities thereof (Articles 55 – 71)
Provide regulations regarding i) designation of city/provincial parks and city/county/district parks, ii) city/provincial and city/county/district park committees, iii) special-purpose districts, city/provincial parks, and restrictions on activities for conservation of city/county/district parks, and iv) park projects for sustainable use of city/provincial parks and city/county/district parks. Apply regulations regarding national parks apply mutatis mutandis, provided however, that the codes of conduct for park natural environment districts and park village districts may be prescribed by Municipal Ordinance following the determination of the Ordinance of the Ministry of Environment, and the regulatory system shall be modified such that certain activities may be restricted in accordance with the status of national parks, city/provincial parks, and city/county/district parks.

J. Establish and utilize natural park information system (Article 79)
Establish and use natural park information systems to effectively mobilize information necessary for the conservation/management of natural parks and management of visitors such as natural park investigation results, etc., and for public understanding of natural parks.